Savory Oats: Tex Mex Edition
Up to this point, me and oatmeal have had a love hate relationship. When I was a child, I hated every bit of it. The taste, the texture, Everything about it screamed NO! Then one day as an adult, I had an odd, random craving for some. The prepackaged instant oat version, loaded with lots of sugar; cinnamon apple flavor to be specific, and I loved it. But, that phase ended rather quickly, and I was back to hating it; even the thought of eating it made me gag.
Now, I'm somewhere in between, I'll eat it when I have a strong urge to utter disgust. No longer the instant version, but still a sweet variation of oatmeal. Add some brown sugar, fresh fruit, peanut butter and granola. Granola you ask? Yes, it helps break up the soft texture of the oatmeal.
However, recently, I learned about savory oats. WHAT!!? Why didn't anyone tell me about this? I'm already not a person who has a massive sweet tooth, so how did I not come across this sooner. I have no clue. Regardless, I'm happy I found this. It has definitely become a breakfast/brunch game changer for me. And, I'm sure it will be for you too.
Speaking of brunch, this is the kickoff of my BRUNCH SERIES!! Stay tuned for more ideas that will please all your Spring and Summer brunch needs.
prep time: 11 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
yield: 2 - 3 servings
Ingredients for the Oats:
½ cup steel cut oats
2 cups water
½ cup heavy cream
¼ tsp salt
Ingredients for the Chorizo & Potatoes:
3 cups golden potatoes cubed
12 oz chorizo
½ cup diced yellow onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsps unsalted butter
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp chipotle chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
Other Ingredients:
2 to 3 eggs (depends on amount of servings)
Tools:
cast iron skillet
small sauce pan
microwave safe bowl
nonstick skillet
Cooking Instructions:
The cooking process for the potatoes will begin in the microwave. Potatoes can take a while to fully cook through, so this will just speed things up. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the potatoes for 1 minute and 35 seconds, stirring every 45 seconds.
Next, you will multitask to cook the steel cut oats while finishing the potatoes in the skillet. Add two cups of water and a 1/2 cup of oats to the small sauce pan and bring to a boil. At the same time, bring the cast iron skillet to medium heat and melt the butter. Once the butter is melted add the onions until they are translucent. By the time the onions have softened, your oats should be boiling. At this point, add the heavy cream, salt and stir.
Back to the cast iron, add the potatoes and garlic to the skillet, along with the salt, pepper, paprika and chipotle chili powder. Cook until they are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
Note: If potatoes begin to stick to the bottom of the skillet, add 1/4 cup of water and continue to cook until the water has evaporated.
Remember to occasionally stir the oats as they cook and thicken. The cooking time for the oats should take between 17 to 18 minutes.
When the potatoes are fork tender, add in the chorizo. Let the chorizo and potatoes simmer for 8 minutes until chorizo is fully cooked. Once done, drain and discard the excess grease.
Set oats and chorizo and potatoes to the side.
Now, cook the eggs however you prefer. For this recipe, I suggest sunny side up, but if runny eggs isn't your thing, (don't feel bad, it isn't mine either), scrambled or a hard fried egg will work just fine too.
Finally assemble, plate and serve!
**Bonus Points: Top with crispy bacon bits or crispy onions for added crunch and flavor. YUM!
I hope you really enjoy this one. This recipe was outside of my confront zone, but I'm very pleased with the final results. If you take the chance and give it a try, let me know how you liked it.
Toodles!
