Silke Jasso
Reba McEntire is, at heart, just a regular girl from Oklahoma. The fact that she holds the record for the American Music Awards’ Favorite Country Female Artist of the year hasn’t changed her one bit. Every so often, I like to cook like some of my favorite celebrities and this year, when I was looking for a new holiday recipe, I stumbled upon something I never knew: Reba McEntire’s signature holiday dish.
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You know it says something when this respectable woman from Oklahoma blushes, unsure if she can even say it without being censored. “I’ll tell you later,” she says, when the host pressures her to say what it actually is to the audience. She then breaks out in an embarrassed laugh, and it’s just got Reba written all over it. Watch for yourself.
That’s right, y’all. Reba McEntire’s specialty dish is Mountain Oysters. And what are Mountain Oysters? If you’re not sure, they’re cattle testicles that have been battered and fried. While Reba also calls them Lamb Fries, they’re known as a few different names throughout the country. In Canada, they’re also known as Prairie Oysters. If they’re deep-fried, they become Rocky Mountain Oysters.
And it’s not the first time she made her love of Mountain Oysters clear. She appeared on the Donny & Marie Osmond talk show, with the oysters in tow. She even made Donny try them, much to his dismay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oQW8SpvBBE
As she says, it’s a McEntire family tradition. While ranch was served here, she often pairs hers with ketchup. As she explains why it’s a family, tradition, it makes sense. Reba grew up in a family of champion steer ropers, and when her dad would get in bulls, they’d castrate them. And what else are you supposed to do with those testicles?
Well, if you’re from a hardworking, earnest family that doesn’t let things go to waste, you fry ’em. Donny Osmond so rudely spits it out, but we wouldn’t mind.
How to Make Rocky Mountain Oysters
If you’ve got a hankering for a taste of the Midwest, then this recipe guide from Serious Eats is worth checking out.
I’ll be honest, I’ve had Rocky Mountain Oysters before. Has anything deep-fried ever tasted bad? The answer is no.
