I think I mentioned a few days ago that I was invited to brunch at some friends house recently. There was a lot of talk about food and it got around to the topic of what\u2019s the strangest food you\u2019ve ever eaten. I had been more places than most of the people there, so I\u2019d probably experienced some of the stranger dishes during the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But after I got home I remembered a dish that I should have mentioned \u2014 something that my grandad talked about often and my grandmother actually prepared a few times. My grandad always wanted to serve \u201cPossum and Sweet Taters\u201d (I don\u2019t think I ever heard my granddad say the word potato \u2014 it was always tater) when people came to their house. To the best of my knowledge, my grandmother always refused to make the dish for \u201ccompany.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My grandmother actually had a recipe that she used \u2014 and of course Claire had to have the recipe, even though she never used it. I encouraged her to put it in the St. Agnes cookbook she put together a number of years ago, but she didn\u2019t think that was such a great idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyhow, after a bit of searching, I found the recipe she had gotten not long after we were married. In case some of you would like to try it, here it is\u2026. this is not a joke, it\u2019s the actual recipe, just as it was written by by grandmother \u2014 my granddad thought it was delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ingredients<\/strong>: Directions<\/strong>: (I always thought the correct spelling was opossum, not possum, but I looked it up and possum is the usual term used \u2014 opossum is preferred in technical or scientific writings. Opossum can be pronounced with its first syllable either voiced or silent.) I think I mentioned a few days ago that I was invited to brunch at some friends house recently. There was a lot of talk about food and it got around to the topic of what\u2019s the strangest food you\u2019ve … Continue reading
1 possum, cut up
\u00bd teaspoon salt
\u00bc teaspoon black pepper
5 or 6 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut up in chunks
\u00bd cup white sugar
\u00bd cup brown sugar
\u00bd cup oleo
1 gallon water as needed<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heat oven to 375
Skin and shuck all innards and wash possum
Put possum in a big sauce pot and cover with water
Add salt and pepper
Cover pot and cook until possum is tender
Put possum in center of big baking pan and put sweet taters around it
Sprinkle white and brown sugar and oleo over taters
Pour 2 cups juice from cooked possum over everything
Put in a hot oven and bake until taters are fork tender and light brown and juices from possum has cooked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So there you have it \u2014 if you decide to make possum and sweet taters, invite me over.
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"