I know, I know, Oyster Dressing isn’t the prettiest dish on the table, but it has a generous heartful of flavor, that’s for sure! And this turned out to be the best stuffing I’ve ever made! Hands down.

I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, because now, I don’t want my regular stuffing anymore and we have to make two stuffings for the holiday! The hubs won’t touch oysters other than raw, but I absolutely adore them! 😀 So we decided that a half of a batch of each favorite stuffing would work out pretty darned well. And that it did. 😉 

I think what made this batch the best ever, was that I didn’t add any of the oyster liquor. I didn’t want the entire casserole to taste “fishy” if you know what I mean. I wanted a nice, delicate oyster flavor, mostly just from the oysters themselves, without completely overpowering everything else in it.

Besides that, my additions of bacon and sausage just rocked it! What’s not to love about bacon and sausage, right? 😀  

And if that’s not making your mouth water already, I upped the herbs and spices and everything just came together like the last pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

This dressing, (or do you call it stuffing? I’ve been calling this one both!), anyway, was truly wonderful! I’m honestly still shocked at how good it was and it was always saved for my very “last bite”.

That last bite is a pretty important honor to have on the ol’ Thanksgiving plate. 😉  That perfect bite that you save for the very last! 😉 

I always like to add mushrooms, celery and of course onions to my stuffings as well. But you can play with this and add your own favorites that pair well! This combination was the bomb, though, and I hope that you’ll give this a shot just as it is sometime! There’s always somebody besides me that appreciates and loves oysters, too! 😉

So this was the year that we had two stuffings on the table. My dear sweet hubby took care of making his own stuffing that he enjoys and loves to make, and both of us were very happy little campers!

For whatever reason, the food this year just plain turned out over the moon stellar! One of the best Thanksgiving dinners all the way around that I can ever remember! 😀 Even the homemade mashed potatoes and gravy turned out extra delicious!

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday as well, and are looking forward to giving this amazing tasting holiday dish a try! A very well-rounded stuffing in flavor, nicely moist, and not at all “fishy” tasting! 😀 A definite “keeper” and an old tradition made new again at our house! 😉

Take care all and I’ll see you later! 😀 ~Kelly   

Yield: 8-10 servings

Old-Fashioned Oyster Dressing with Sausage, Mushrooms & Bacon

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 lb. mild, sweet or hot Italian sausage, cooked and cut up to 1/2 - 1" crumbles
• 2 Tbl. fat from sausage
• 1 sweet vidalia onion, large dice
• 4 ribs celery, sliced
• 6 strips quality lean thick-cut bacon, snipped into 1" pieces
• 1 Tbl. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. ground dried sage
• 1 tsp. dried thyme, crush between fingers when adding
• 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. celery salt
• 1 (8 oz. pkg.) sliced button mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, run through press or finely chopped
• 2 Tbl. chopped celery leaves
• 1 stick butter, cut up
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. Creole Seasoning
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning, to taste
• 1 (12 oz.) bag unseasoned un-toasted fresh bread cubes, lightly toasted and dried in oven
• 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 2 extra large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 (16 oz.) can whole boiled oysters, drained well
• 2-4 Tbl. butter, cut up to dot top, as desired
• (plus a little butter for greasing baking dish)

Instructions

In large frying pan, sauté sausage until thoroughly cooked chopping up into nice sized pieces. (Don't over chop and crumble, keep it in small chunks.) Remove sausage with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined bowl to cool and fully drain. Drain grease from pan except for 2 Tbl.

Add next 9 ingredients and sauté until veggies are tender and bacon is done.

Add mushrooms, garlic and chopped celery leaves and continue sautéing for 5 more minutes. Melt in butter, and add onion powder, Creole seasoning and poultry seasoning.

In pot or extra roaster (to use to mix), add toasted bread cubes. Pour sautéed mixture, broth and beaten eggs mixed with cold heavy cream over the top. Fold gently several times to lightly mix.

Add drained oysters and fold again a few times just until all is mixed well and bread is moistened but not breaking down. Taste a little to check seasonings and adjust if needed. Just don't over stir.

Butter appropriate-sized baking dish, pour and spoon dressing into dish and adjust a bit to level.

Dot top with cut-up butter, cover, and bake in preheated 350º oven for 1 hour. *If a slightly crispy top is desired, remove lid and continue baking for 5-10 more minutes uncovered to crisp up.

This can be made a day ahead, refrigerated, and then removed to counter for 1 hour before baking.

Notes

*I used Stroehmann Pennsylvania Dutch Bakers Fresh Enriched Bread Cubes for Stuffing.