Crawfish Corn Bread Dressing from chef Drake Leonards, Eunice restaurant

By karen1

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons rendered bacon fat or olive oil
• ¼ pound andouille sausage, diced
• ¼ pound ground fresh hot pork sausage (preferably Johnsonville, Jimmy Dean or Central Market brand)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• ½ poblano pepper, diced
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound peeled Lousiana crawfish tails (frozen is fine), chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• Fresh thyme (leaves from 4 sprigs)
• 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning (Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic)
• 6 cups crumbled corn bread
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Combine the bacon fat, andouille and pork sausage into a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the pork with the back of a wooden spoon. When the pork sausage has browned, add the onions, celery, peppers and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the crawfish (thawed if frozen) and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Let cool.

Add remaining ingredients to the bowl, stir until well combined. Spoon the dressing into a large heat-proof dish that has been buttered. At this point, the dressing may be covered and refrigerated (for up to 1 day) until you are ready to bake it. Bake the dressing in a pre-heated 350-degree oven until it is piping hot and golden brown, 25-30 minutes.