Ingredients

• 10 cups cubed (1 inch) day-old French sourdough bread
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups peeled and chopped (1/4 inch) onions
• 2 fennel bulbs, cored, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 cups dried cranberries
• 2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
• Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
• 2 teaspoons dried sage leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cup defatted chicken broth

Instructions

1. Toss the bread cubes in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Lay out on 2 baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool, then return bread cubes to the bowl.
2. Cook the sausage in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for 20 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula. (Pour off and discard excess fat.) With a slotted spoon, remove sausage meat to bread cubes.
3. Place the remaining olive oil and the butter in a heavy saucepan. Cook onions and fennel over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Add the cranberries; cook 5 minutes more. Fold into the bread cubes with the walnuts, orange zest, sage and parsley. Drizzle in the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, to moisten the stuffing. Adjust seasonings. Let cool completely before stuffing the turkey. Cook stuffing inside the turkey or heat, covered, in an ovenproof dish at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes before serving.