Sausage Rice Stuffing

Here's a stuffing for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.  It's a combination of a few recipes, with the main inspiration coming from Semon and Kornblum (see "References").  They have a couple of rice stuffing recipes.  We liked it on Thanksgiving day, and even more the day after, and the day after. 

2 c brown rice, uncooked
4 c water
1 lb fresh sausage (see "meat" recipes)
1½ c chopped celery
2 c any combination chopped shallots, leeks, and/or green onions
1 egg
2 granny smith apples, chopped (no need to peel; can use a squirt of fresh lemon juice or the butter and salt to keep from browning)
4 T butter, melted
1 T sage
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Put water and rice in a large pot, cover, bring to a boil. Simmer for 50 min or until water is absorbed. Rice will still be slightly crunchy. When rice is done, let cool at room temperature.
2. While rice is cooking, in a large frying pan, cook the sausage until just done (don’t brown), 5-6 min. Transfer sausage into a large mixing bowl or pot.
3. In frying pan, sauté shallots/leeks in sausage grease for 5-6 min, until tender. Add some butter if sticking. Add celery and sauté 2 more min.
4. Add everything to mixing bowl with sausage: rice, sautéed vegetable, egg, apples, sage, and butter. Mix, add salt, pepper, and more sage to taste.
5. Stuff turkey.
6. If there is any stuffing left over, store in refrigerator until there is 1-2 cups of broth from the turkey, or use some chicken broth. Pour broth over the rice and bake in oven.

Serve with gravy or butter.