Now that fall is upon us, try this hearty stew on a cool day. Serve with a sliced baguette and a salad.
Total Time: 1 hour Serves: 4
- ½ pound smoky bacon, such as Edwards, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- ¼ cup diced celery
- ¼ cup diced fennel
- ½ cup hard apple cider, such as Foggy Ridge
- 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
- ¼ teaspoon celery seeds, lightly toasted
- 1 pint (about 18) shucked oysters, liquor drained and set aside
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1-pint heavy cream
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Dash of hot sauce
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced chives, plus more for garnish
- Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until crisp and browned, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
- Add butter, onions, celery and fennel to pan, and cook until vegetables begin to soften and look translucent, 4-5 minutes.
- Deglaze pan with cider, scraping up any browned bits, and continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
- Add potatoes, celery seeds, oyster liquor, milk, cream, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes. (To prevent cream from breaking, take care not to let liquid boil.) Remove bay leaf and thyme, and discard.
- Add crisp bacon and raw oysters to pot, then immediately remove from heat. (Oysters will cook in residual heat from the stew; you want them soft and creamy, not rubbery.)
- To serve, stir in hot sauce, lemon juice, white pepper, chives and salt to taste. Add more salt as needed. Garnish with more chives. Serve immediately.
Note: you might substitute Greek yogurt (low fat or whole milk) for the heavy cream to reduce fat levels.