Several years ago, I had the great pleasure of having Thanksgiving dinner with my dear friends, Gil and Sally.  For a time, they lived in New Orleans and one of the wonderful dishes they brought from that experience was Oyster Dressing.  This dish is nothing like the cornbread dressing my Mom makes, but it does have very similar texture and the flavors are outstanding.  Now, before you say “but, I don’ like oysters”, I suggest you re-think this one.  This is an amazing dish and it just gets better with age.  You can microwave the left-overs and make a full meal of it.

In this version, I used part of the recipe from Sally (I especially liked the spice mix) and I took Gil’s advice to buy the oysters that come in plastic containers (not the canned variety).  But, I also had a version of this recipe from chef Wolfgang Puck from which I drew some of the ingredients (like the Italian sausage).  I think it would work just as well with breakfast sausage.  The spiciness or heat of the sausage does come through on this dish, so I recommend starting with the mild version and working your way up if you like it spicier.

 Printer Version

Papa Don’s Oyster Dressing

Ingredients:

1 Lb of French bread or white bread, crust trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 Lb unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1 Lb baby spinach or substitute 1 cup celery, chopped

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

2 oz button mushrooms, rinsed and quartered

2 oz shiitake mushrooms, rinsed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

8 oz (approximately 20-30) small to medium raw oysters, juices reserved

1 Lb Italian sausage (ground if you can find it)

1/4 Lb dried cherries (optional)

1/4 Lb golden raisins (optional)

2 eggs, large

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup milk

Seasoning Mix:

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp dried oregano or 1 Tbsp fresh oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh time

1/4 tsp dried sage or 1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped

1/4 tsp dried rosemary or 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Method

1)    Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

2)    Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast until dry (about 20-30 minutes).  Be careful to not let them brown remove and set aside.

3)    Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

4)    In a small sauce pan (or in the microwave), melt 1 Tbsp of butter and brush a 13×9 casserole dish, set aside.

5)    In a large sauté pan, over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp of butter

6)    Add the spinach and sauté until just wilted.

7)    Drain the spinach and set aside.

8)    In the same pan, over medium heat, add 2 Tbsp of butter.

9)    While the butter is melting, add the garlic, button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and half of the Seasoning Mix.

10) Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

11) Add the ground sausage and cook until almost browned

12) Add the oysters, oyster juice, spinach, dried cherries, and raisins.

13) Cook over medium-high heat for another 8 – 10 minutes or until the sausage is browned.

14) Add the remaining half of the Seasoning Mix and stir to combine.

15) In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs.

16) Stir in the cream and milk until well combined.

17) Add the meat and oyster mixture and reserved bread cubes, fold until well combined.

18) Pour the mixture into the buttered casserole dish.

19) Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (or until golden brown and puffy).