These “Oysters Rocky” are better than those at Delaney’s. I’m really into them PLUS, you know, they ARE an aphrodisiac. There is a watercress mixture involved in this recipe that has to be refrigerated overnight which is really a plus, since it allows you to get that part done the day before you want to serve it. That means less hassle for you at the last minute.

• 4 TBS. butter
• 2 TBS. minced green onion
• 2 TBS. minced celery
• 2 TBS. minced parsley
• 1 lg. clove garlic – whole
• 1 cup chopped watercress
• 5 TBS. cold butter cut into five pieces
• 2 heaping TBS. dry breadcrumbs
• 2 TBS. freshly grated parm cheese
• 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (use 1/4 tsp. ground dried if you don’t have the fresh)
• 24 unshucked oysters
• 5 thin slices Smithfield or Blackforest ham cut into 24 “quarter-size” pieces
• lemon wedges
• parsley sprigs

Melt 3 TBS. butter in skillet.  Add the green onion, celery, parsley, and the garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes. Discard garlic. Add watercress and stir until the watercress has wilted (approx. 1 minute). Put this mixture into the food processor (or blender). Add the other 5 TBS. of butter, the breadcrumbs, the cheese and the nutmeg. Mix until smooth transfer to a non-aluminum bowl, cover with plastic wrap (Not Saran Wrap because it stinks!) and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Open the oysters and discard the top, flat part of the shells. Loosen each of the oysters in the bottom of their shells, reserving as much of the natural oyster juice in the shell as possible. Arrange these little guys in an appropriate sized glass baking dish. Cover each little oyster with a piece of the ham and then top each one with 1 TBS. of the watercress mixture. Bake the suckers 8 minutes. Isn’t this just quite the “posh” little appetizer? Oh, by the way, forget about serving these over rock salt!  It’s too messy, a pain in the neck, it can really louse up your table, and they don’t get cold that quickly