- 1 (1 1/4-pound) loaf country-style bread, crust discarded and bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes (8 cups)
- 1/2 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 medium onions, coarsely chopped
- 3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
- 1 pound bulk pork sausage
- 1 turkey liver (optional), coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup Cognac or other brandy
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (14- to 15-oz) jar peeled cooked whole chestnuts, coarsely crumbled (3 cups)
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage, crumbled
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart shallow baking dish.
- Spread bread cubes in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) and bake in lower third of oven until completely dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
- While bread bakes, cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until crisp, about 10 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
- Pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat from skillet, then sauté onions in fat over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add celery and sauté, stirring, 3 minutes, then transfer vegetables to bowl with bacon.
- Cook sausage and liver (if using) in skillet, stirring and breaking up sausage with a fork, until meat is no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes, then transfer with slotted spoon to onion mixture.
- Pour off any remaining fat from skillet. Add Cognac (off heat), then deglaze skillet by simmering over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, 1 minute, and add to sausage mixture.
- Increase oven temperature to 375°F.
- Soak bread cubes in half-and-half in a bowl, tossing frequently, until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Gently squeeze excess liquid from bread, then stir bread into sausage mixture, discarding remaining half-and-half. Stir together stock and eggs and add to stuffing, then stir in chestnuts, herbs, salt, and pepper until combined well.
- Transfer stuffing to baking dish and cover with foil, then bake in upper third of oven 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is crisp, about 20 minutes more.