Thanksgiving Stuffing Muffins

• Melt butter for country gravy in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook and crumble into very small pieces until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add flour and whisk until it combines with butter and sausage fat to create a roux. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add green onions. Cook and stir for 1 minute; don't overcook.
• Pour in milk and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to cook and stir until nice and thick. Stir in salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Cook for 1 more minute, then remove from the heat.
• Transfer gravy into a bowl and let cool to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes. Wrap and refrigerate until cold and thick, about 2 hours, or until needed.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin with a 1 tablespoon butter.
• Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, and salt; cook and stir until onion just starts to turn translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add poultry seasoning and pepper; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, combine bread cubes, parsley, sage, and thyme in a large bowl.
• Pour boiling broth mixture over bread-herb mixture and stir until combined. Mix in eggs. Fill the prepared muffin cups to the top with stuffing mixture, then go around and evenly divide remaining stuffing on top of each muffing, piling it up nice and high.
• Wet your finger and make a big hole in the center of each muffin, poking down pretty far but stopping about 1 inch from the bottom of the pan. Place about 2 tablespoons chilled gravy into each hole, centering it in the hole the best you can. Reserve remaining gravy for another use.
• Dampen your hands and mold the stuffing for each muffin over the top to cover the gravy center. Generously brush the tops with melted butter.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven with a baking pan on a lower rack to catch any drippings. Bake until muffins have firmed up and are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully remove and serve.

Chef's Notes:

• Making the gravy ahead and refrigerating it is the way to go since the colder and thicker the gravy is, the easier it will be to work with.
• You can use any sausage such as regular pork Italian sausage or pork breakfast sausage.
• Chicken broth can be used in place of turkey broth.
• You can use sourdough bread cubes, your favorite stuffing mix, or croutons for the stuffing. You can add fresh rosemary to the stuffing too, but be careful! Too much can really overpower it.