Oyster Dressing

This is my Mom’s recipe that she changed for my Dad.  She always made Oyster Dressing with French bread, but my Dad preferred a cornbread dressing.  Well, her recipe developed into a Cornbread/French bread Oyster Dressing.  The dressing mix is my shortcut.

Ingredients:

• 1 Jiffy cornbread, prepared, cooled, and crumbled
• 1 loaf of French bread, stale
• 2 C. onions, chopped
• 1 C. bell pepper, chopped
• 1 C. celery, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped
• ½ C. of fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1 pt. fresh oysters, drained and pureed (save the oyster liquor)
• 1 lb. of Savoie or Richard’s Dressing Mix
• 1 T. of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ½ t.  of cayenne pepper
• ½ C. vegetable oil
• ¼ C. (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 egg, scrambled

Directions:

1. Soak 1/2 of the French bread in 1/2 C. of the oyster liquor until soft and soggy, reserve.
2. In a Dutch oven, sauté onions, bell peppers, and celery over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add dressing mix and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add the oysters and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the green onions, parsley, Creole seasoning, and cayenne and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add some cornbread, french bread, and then some oyster liquor, alternating and scrapping the bottom of the Dutch oven often. (you might not need all the cornbread or all of the oyster liquor)
8. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes and continue scrapping.
9. Remove the dressing from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
10. Add the butter and the egg and stir well.
11. Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
12. When you are ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Tips and Tricks:

• Make the cornbread the day before you make the oyster dressing.
• You need a really sturdy spoon to stir this dressing.  It gets thick as it cooks, but it’s important to keep it moving.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

This a a great holiday casserole, but don't wait for the holidays.  It is easy to prepare and makes about 8 servings.  It's very easy to double the recipe, if you need to feed more.  It is an Emeril Lagasse recipe that I've slightly tweaked.

Ingredients:

• 4 large baked potatoes
• ½ C. half and half or evaporated milk
• 2 C. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• ½ C. sour cream
• ¾ C. green onions, finely chopped
• 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• ¼ C. (½ stick) butter, plus 1 T. to grease the casserole dish
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 egg, scrambled
• Fresh chives

Directions:

1. Peel and coarsely mash the baked potatoes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, cream, 1 C. of the cheese, sour cream, green onions, bacon, butter, salt, and Creole seasoning.
3. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated and then add the scrambled egg.
4. Grease a casserole dish with 1 T. butter and then transfer the potato mixture to the casserole dish.
5. Cover with the remaining 1 C. of Cheddar cheese.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
7. Serve hot.

Tips and Tricks:

• The best way to bake potatoes is without foil in a 450 degree oven.  Depending on size, they usually take about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• I’ve tried making this recipe with Colby, mild Cheddar, and sharp Cheddar cheese.  Sharp Cheddar is my favorite, but use what you like.
• I like to add chives when serving.  Chives are NOT green onions.  They are milder and thinner than green onions.  Chop the green onions to cook IN the casserole and the chives to serve ON the casserole.   You can find them by the fresh herbs in the produce section.