Outdoor Cooking & Charcoal Oven Recipes / Bake

Baked sausage, cheese and onion stuffing with a golden top

Cooked in the Charlie Charcoal Oven

Sausage, Cheese and Onion Stuffing

Torn bread soaked in egg and cream, folded through buttery leeks, sausage meat and smoked Cheddar, then baked until set with a golden top. Bake it the day before and reheat it while the turkey rests, which leaves the Charlie free on the day.

Mark O'BrienChef
Bake
Prep30 minutes
CookAbout 1 hour, plus reheating
Serves8, with leftovers
DifficultyEasy
Oven temperature180 to 200°C (355 to 390°F)
RackMiddle rack
CharcoalAbout half a football of good quality lumpwood charcoal

Charlie Oven — https://charlieoven.com/en-us/blogs/charcoal-recipes/sausage-cheese-onion-stuffing

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Ingredients

Equipment

Everything used in this recipe. Already have Charlie? Add the accessories in one go.

Method

Setting up Charlie

Light a small pyramid of charcoal in the centre of the grates with one or two natural firelighters. Close the door and open both vents fully. When the oven is about 10°C (20°F) short of 180°C (355°F), set both vents to the hold position, about 2.5 cm (1 in) open.

  1. Cook the leeks

    Slice the leeks and start cooking them down in a pan with the butter and a little oil.

  2. Add the garlic

    Peel and crush the garlic and add it to the leeks.

  3. Add the rosemary

    Strip the rosemary from the stalks, chop it as finely as you can and add it to the pan.

  4. Make the custard

    In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and cream together.

  5. Add the cheese and spring onions

    Grate the cheese and finely slice the spring onions, then add both to the egg and cream.

  6. Add the bread

    Tear the bread into small pieces and add it to the egg and cream mix.

  7. Cool the leeks

    Finish cooking the leeks and let them cool slightly.

  8. Add the sausage meat

    Break the sausage meat into fairly large chunks, so it keeps its texture, and add it to the leeks.

  9. Combine

    Mix everything together and pack it into an ordinary ovenproof dish.
    Combine

  10. Add a little stock

    Spoon a little turkey stock over the top, into each corner.

  11. Bake

    Put the dish on a Cooking Rack and bake in the Charlie at 180 to 200°C (355 to 390°F) for about an hour, until firm with a golden top and 75°C (165°F) in the middle. Cool, then chill overnight.

  12. Reheat

    On the day, reheat in the Charlie at 180 to 200°C (355 to 390°F) for 30 to 40 minutes, until piping hot and 75°C (165°F) in the middle.

Tips

Bake it the day before rather than mixing it ahead: left raw overnight, the bread breaks down.

You can also bake it on the day alongside the turkey. At the turkey's lower temperature it takes longer, so check it reaches 75°C (165°F) in the middle.

Any cheese that melts well works (Cheddar, Edam, Brie). Avoid hard cheeses like Parmesan.

Bread a few days old soaks up the egg and cream best.

Part of Mark O'Brien's Christmas menu. Download the full plan, with the shopping list and the timings for Christmas Eve and the day itself.

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The cook

Mark O'Brien

Chef

Mark O’Brien was a finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals 2026 and the first Irish chef to reach the final. After more than a decade in top London restaurants, he now runs Snake Oil Barbecue in Margate, bringing serious chef skills to his love of American BBQ and cooking over fire.

More recipes by Mark O'Brien

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I cook this inside the turkey?

    This stuffing is made to bake in a dish. In Mark's turkey recipe the bird is split into crown and legs, so there is no cavity to fill.

  • Can I make it ahead?

    Yes, and it's best that way. Bake it the day before, chill it overnight and reheat it on the day. Don't mix it ahead and leave it raw, as the bread breaks down.