Megan Gordon's Steel-Cut Oatmeal

I almost didn’t post this, because oatmeal can be kind of boring, not to mention less than photogenic. But that would be doing you a disservice, because it was absolutely delicious. Perhaps the best bowl of oatmeal I’ve had? In any event, this recipe will be added to my rotation, and it deserves to be shared. I found it on Orangette, where Molly Wizenberg had adapted it from Megan Gordon, and I in turn adapted slightly by adding vanilla bean paste. It’s wonderful. I served it with maple syrup, though once I forgot it (when I took the picture, apparently) and even loved the oatmeal as is; fresh fruit would be nice, too. The recipe makes about 4 servings. (Note that I used real butter, not margarine.)

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup (175 grams) steel-cut oats
3 ¼ cups water
1 cup lactose-free whole milk
1 Tbsp. natural cane sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey for serving

In a heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oats, and cook, stirring occasionally, until quite fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a 2 ½- to 3-quart saucepan, bring the water, milk, sugar, and salt to a simmer. (Be careful: milk goes quickly from zero to boiling and has a tendency to boil over.) Stir in the toasted oats. Adjust the heat to maintain a slow simmer, and partially cover the saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent clumping and scorching, until the mixture has thickened and the oats are soft, 25 to 30 minutes. The cereal will still be quite loose at this point, but don’t worry, it will continue to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla bean paste, allow it to rest for a few minutes (still partially covered), and then serve hot, with maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey.