Welcome to Snacksgiving, where we bring you classic Thanksgiving dishes in the form of poppable, dippable, shareable bites.
Pigs in a blanket are, without question, one of mankind’s greatest inventions. As a child forced to go to many boring weddings and other catering hall events, I learned that the best place to spend cocktail hour was near the entrance to the kitchen, so I could quickly accost every server who carried out those tasty little nuggets before any of the adults could get their grubby mitts on them. When I myself worked at an upscale catering company in Brooklyn, I learned that the allure of pigs in a blanket was both ageless and classless. They’d be requested on every cocktail party menu; we’d always need to make twice the amount of any other appetizer requested; and our servers would rarely make it more than a few feet from the kitchen door before they came back with a completely ravished tray. Old or young, rich or poor, fancy or schmancy, pigs in a blanket are beloved by all.
There was no way I could possibly put together a Snacksgiving celebration and not put some sort of pig in a blanket on the table. Hot dogs might not have a place on the traditional Thanksgiving table, but in plenty of homes sausage stuffing sure does, and I could definitely make a sausage packed with stuffing flavors in teeny-tiny-weenie form. Wrap it in crescent roll dough (which itself is a holiday staple for plenty of people) and you’ve got stuffing you can stick in your pocket or hold in your hand. It is truly a feat of Thanksgiving engineering.
Sausage Stuffing Pigs in a Blanket
Makes 24 lil’ piggies
- 1 medium carrot
- 2 medium celery stalks
- 5 scallions, white parts only
- 5 large white button mushrooms, stems removed
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. chicken or turkey base paste, such as Better Than Bouillon
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 Tbsp. ground sage
- 1 egg
- 1 lb. loose country sausage
- 1/2 6-ounce box stuffing mix, crushed into rough breadcrumbs
- 3 4-ounce (4 count) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
Roughly cut the carrot and celery into small pieces, then place in a food processor with the mushrooms and scallions and pulse until the vegetables are minced into tiny pieces.
Heat the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the vegetable mix with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in chicken base, pepper, and ground sage, and cool completely.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg well until smooth, then add the sausage, crushed stuffing mix, and sauteed vegetables. Mix well, then portion out into 24 pieces—roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons each. Roll into sausage shapes about 1" thick.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet pans with either baking parchment or foil sprayed with a bit of cooking spray.
Cut each crescent roll in half lengthwise, then roll each around a sausage piece and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with cups of gravy and cranberry sauce on the side for dipping.