Sausage and apple cornbread dressing

Southern cornbread dressing is a moist crumble of everything delicious and good in the world. In this modern spin on that style of stuffing, fennel seeds, fresh sage and dried red chile amplify the comforting spices of Thanksgiving. Sweet-tart apples, tossed with cider vinegar first to stop them from browning, punctuate the dish with pops of acid and sweetness. Cornbread crumbs and crushed saltine crackers soak up broth and swell like sponges, staying moist but not soggy as they bind the disparate parts of this stuffing.