New England Oyster Bacon Stuffing

Sara Moulton's Thanksgiving Sides

From the kitchen of Sara Moulton

Ingredients

6 cups Sourdough bread, cubed and toasted

1 pound un-sliced bacon (so you can cube it 1 stick of butter)

2 onions, chopped

4 ribs celery, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, and marjoram)

1 pound poached oysters (with liquor - oyster liquid)

1 pound chestnuts, roasted and shelled

1 cup chicken stock (canned)

salt and pepper, to taste

Cooking Directions

Toast the 6 cups of bread cubes for 10 - 15 minutes in a 325 degree oven until golden. Transfer toasted cubes into a large bowl.

Lightly poach your oysters in 1/2 of the stick of butter, until almost done. Transfer the oysters into the bowl with the bread cubes.

In the same skillet, with the remaining 1/2 stick of butter, sauté all of the vegetables for 10 minutes, until soft. Remove vegetables and place in bowl. Using the same skillet, brown the bacon and drain the grease.

Now combine the bacon, vegetables, oysters, bread crumbs and the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT for the chicken stock. Mix the ingredients until well combined.

Now add just enough chicken stock to moisten the bread mixture. You do not want it soaking wet.

If packing the turkey, stuff the neck and cavity loosely with stuffing, folding the neck skin under and fastening with a skewer. If not, lightly pack stuffing into a large, shallow stoneware-baking dish.

If you bake the stuffing inside the bird, roast the bird at 325 degrees for 15 minutes per pound, or until the temperature of the bird reaches 180 degrees and the juices run clear when thigh is pierced with fork.

If you bake in a separate dish, drizzle the stuffing with a little bit of stock (do not soak). Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Sara Moulton, 2001.