2019-11-01 Southern Living

SOUTHERNLIVING.COM / NOVEMBER 2019

111

1 cup heavy cream or whipping
cream

5 cups finely crushed saltine
crackers (from 2 cracker
sleeves), divided

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf
parsley

1. Generously butter a 13- x 9-inch
   baking dish. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   Cut 6 tablespoons of the butter into
   1/2-inch pieces, and set aside. Stir
   together salt and pepper in a small
   bowl, and set aside.


2. Pour oysters in liquid over a fine
   mesh strainer into a medium bowl.
   Measure 1/3 cup strained oyster liquid
   into a small bowl. (Discard remaining
   oyster liquid, or reserve for another
   use.) Stir cream into oyster liquid. Cut
   any large oysters into 2 or 3 pieces.
   Microwave remaining 2 tablespoons
   butter in a medium-size microwavable
   glass bowl on HIGH until melted, about
   30 seconds. Add 1 cup of the crushed
   crackers. Stir to coat, and set aside.


3. Sprinkle bottom of prepared
   baking dish with 1 cup of the crushed
   crackers. Arrange one-fourth of the
   oysters, spaced a few inches apart,
   over crackers. Sprinkle with one-
   fourth of the salt-pepper mixture.
   Arrange one-fourth of the butter
   pieces around the oysters. Repeat
   layers 3 times using remaining crushed
   crackers, oysters, salt-pepper mixture,
   and butter pieces. Sprinkle evenly
   with reserved melted butter-cracker
   mixture.


4. Pour oyster liquid-cream mixture
   over layered mixture in baking dish.
   Bake in preheated oven until puffed
   up, firm, and heated through, 30 to
   35 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
   Serve hot or warm.

MISSISSIPPI

PASS THE POTATOES

Sweet potatoes grow well in many
Southern states, but Mississippi takes
particular pride in harvesting this

crop. The North Mississippi town of

Vardaman claims the title of Sweet

Potato Capital of the World, and

its regional agricultural tradition

endures. The town will celebrate it

at the 46th annual Vardaman Sweet

Potato Festival this November.

We are saluting Mississippi’s

history with an old-school grated

pudding, which is also known as a

sweet potato pone. This near-forgotten

classic calls for sweet potatoes, peeled

and grated, sweetened with sugar

(and sometimes molasses and spices),

enriched with eggs, and baked into

a rustic pudding.

The creamy dish is accented

beautifully by a topping of crunchy

chopped pecans, a reminder that wild

pecan trees still thrive in the lower

Mississippi Valley.

Grated Sweet Potato Pudding

with Pecans

ACTIVE 20 MIN. - TOTAL 50 MIN.

SERVES 10|

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 large eggs, well beaten

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

4 cups peeled, grated sweet

potatoes (from 1 1/2 lb.

sweet potatoes)

1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt butter
   in a deep 10-inch cast-iron skillet over
   medium-high. Remove from heat. Swirl
   to coat skillet with melted butter; then
   pour melted butter into a small bowl.
   Do not wipe skillet clean.


2. Stir together beaten eggs, sugar,
   flour, and salt in a large bowl. Gradually
   add half-and-half, stirring constantly.
   Stir in melted butter until mixture
   is combined and smooth. Add sweet
   potatoes; stir to combine.


3. Transfer sweet potato mixture to
   buttered skillet; spread in an even
   layer. Arrange chopped pecans in a
   ring around edge of skillet. Bake in
   preheated oven 10 minutes. Reduce

For recipes, tips and fl avor,

visit semills.com

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