Stuffing with dried fruit & nuts

Name: Stuffing with dried fruit & nuts
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 25 g butter, plus extra for greasing; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 200 g Essential Waitrose British Bacon Smoked Lardons; 2 clove/s garlic, finely chopped; 250 g fresh breadcrumbs; 100 g pistachio kernels, roughly chopped; 1 tsp dried sage; 450 g sausagemeat (squeezed from sausages, or in a block); 20 g pack sage, leaves only, finely chopped; 100 g dried apricots, roughly chopped; 1 British Blacktail Free Range Medium Egg, beaten

Martha Collison's stuffing recipe combines a layer of stodgy pork mixed with tangy apricots, breadcrumbs and pistachios, topped with a crispy bacon, onion and sage crumb. It's perfect for the Christmas table.

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Serves8
CourseAccompaniment
Prepare20 mins
Cook1 hr
Total time1 hr 20 mins

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25g butter, plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
200g Essential Waitrose British Bacon Smoked Lardons
2 clove/s garlic, finely chopped
250g fresh breadcrumbs
100g pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
1 tsp dried sage
450g sausagemeat (squeezed from sausages, or in a block)
½ x 20g pack sage, leaves only, finely chopped
100g dried apricots, roughly chopped
1 British Blacktail Free Range Medium Egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6 and grease a baking dish or roasting tin (about 26x20cm or 2.3L) with butter. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, add the oil, then cook the onion gently for 10 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Tip out onto a plate and reserve.
Return the pan to the heat up and add the bacon lardons. Stir in the garlic once the fat begins to run from the bacon and fry for 5-10 minutes, or until the bacon starts to crisp. Stir in the reserved softened onions, then tip ½ the mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Add the butter to the remaining ½ in the frying pan and cook over a medium heat until melted. Add 100g breadcrumbs, 25g pistachios, the sage and a generous amount of seasoning. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the butter has been absorbed and the breadcrumbs are turning crispy, then set aside.
Add the sausagemeat to the bowl containing the fried onions and bacon. Add the sage, remaining breadcrumbs, pistachios, apricots and egg. Season, then mix well, ensuring everything is evenly combined.
Press the stuffing mixture into the prepared dish or tin and press down to form an even layer. Sprinkle the fried breadcrumb mixture onto the top and use a spoon to spread it out. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the sausagemeat is cooked through, the juices run clear with no pink meat and the top is crispy. If it looks like it is browning too quickly, cover with foil during the cooking time. Allow to stand for a few minutes before cutting into slices to serve.