Chef Jeremiah Matthews of Southwood Kitchen elevates Gulf Coast oysters with bold, locally-inspired flavors.
Roasted Oysters with Butternut Squash and Conecuh Sausage
There will be extra stuffing, which can be frozen for later use.
3 cups butternut squash, small diced
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups Conecuh sausage, diced as small as you can
1/2 cup onion, small diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, very small dice
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
4 leaves fresh sage, rolled and shaved thin
2 tablespoons chive, thin sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 dozen oysters in shell, opened
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss squash with a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in glass Pyrex sprayed with cooking spray. Roast until soft, 6 – 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Heat a 10-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add Conecuh and saute 1 minute, then add onion, red pepper and garlic and continue to saute until onions are translucent and the garlic aroma begins to soften. Toss in sage and chive, stir and remove from heat.
- Place squash in the same bowl it was tossed in and mash with a fork (doesn’t have to be mashed until smooth, it can be lumpy). Add sausage and onion mixture along with any rendered fat to the squash. Add Parmesan and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bump the oven up to broil. Place the opened oysters on an oven-proof pan and top with 1 tablespoon of squash mixture (if the oysters are small use less and vice versa — the oyster is the star here). Broil 3 – 5 minutes until the topping begins to take color. Be careful to not overcook the oysters. Serve immediately. Makes 2 dozen
