Squash is the perfect vessel for this gluten-free, whole-food stuffing!
Brush acorn squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and place cut side down on one end of a baking sheet. Toss sweet potato with 1 T olive oil and salt and spread on remaining area of baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
While squash is cooking, prepare the stuffing. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat in cast iron skillet (or you can use butter or olive oil) and heat over medium-high heat. Add celery, onions, and apples. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring, until onions are translucent.
Add pork sausage and cook until almost completely browned. Remove sausage mixture to a large bowl and cool.
Beat eggs and add to slightly cooled sausage mixture, along with sweet potatoes, pecans and cranberries.
The gluten-free, grain-free sausage "stuffing" tastes surprising like traditional poultry stuffing, even without any bread in it! Sausage often has sage in it, so I think that's an important flavor to evoke the stuffing nostalgia.
You can skip the squash and place all of this on a baking sheet and serve in a bowl. And my husband came up with a fantastic use for the leftovers when we were low on eggs one morning...he added the leftover sausage stuffing to scrambled eggs for a "holiday breakfast hash"--so yummy!