Art Dowd’s Oyster Stuffing
My grandfather, Art Dowd, used to make oyster stuffing every year at Thanksgiving. Art was an FBI agent and meticulous about everything he did, including chopping all ingredients with incredible precision. Making the stuffing has become a family tradition, as has making the jokes about how the rest of us bozos don’t have the chopping skills to pass inspection.
Ingredients
- 1 bag of Pepperidge Farm stuffing (14 oz)
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup chopped white onion
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups sliced white or crimini mushrooms
- 1 egg
- 8 oz chopped oysters with juice
- Note: you can get jars of whole oysters at the store like Whole Foods or QFC. It’s probably a little cheaper and works just as well as live ones. You can also double the oysters for more flavor.
Directions
- Wash and chop the onions, celery, and mushrooms
- In a large saucepan, saute the onion and celery in butter in 5–6 tbsp of butter until soft but not browned ( ~ 3 min). Remove from heat when done.
- Add broth and breadcrumbs to the saucepan a half cup at a time. Mix ingredients lightly with celery and onions.
- Saute the mushrooms separately in butter until they’re golden brown. A cast iron skillet or dutch oven works nicely.
- Chop the oysters into small pieces, retaining as much liquid as you can. Use a big cutting board to keep the liquid from dripping off the edge.
- Beat the egg in a bowl
- Add the mushrooms, oysters, and egg mix to the saucepan and mix well with the stuffing, onions, and celery.
- Add stuffing mixture to a casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. If you like a crispy top, feel free to take the cover off for the last 10 minutes or bake a little longer.