Spiced Irish Oatmeal With Cream and Crunchy Sugar

By Melissa Clark

Spiced Irish Oatmeal With Cream and Crunchy Sugar
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
4(2,235)
Comments
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A shower of heavy cream and plenty of caramelized Demerara sugar may make these Irish oats seem more like dessert than something you’d serve first thing in the morning, but that’s all the more reason to bake them up for a special occasion breakfast or brunch. Cardamom and cinnamon give them an especially earthy, perfumed aroma, and toasting the oats in butter before baking them lends nuttiness and depth. They’re also extremely easy, and you can assemble the dish the night before, then bake them in the morning. Just add about 10 minutes to the baking time if you’re starting them cold from the fridge.

Featured in: Four Breakfasts as Festive as the Season

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • 6tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
  • 2cups steel-cut oats
  • 1teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 6½cups boiling water
  • ½cup heavy cream, plus more for serving
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½cup Demerara sugar, plus more for serving
  • Flaky sea salt, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

237 calories; 15 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 158 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart shallow gratin or baking dish.

  2. Step 2

    Cut 2 tablespoons butter into small cubes, and put them in the refrigerator until needed.

  3. Step 3

    In a large skillet, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add the oats and sauté until they smell nutty and toasted, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cardamom and cinnamon, and sauté for another minute, until fragrant. Scrape oats into the buttered baking pan and stir in the boiling water, cream and salt.

  4. Step 4

    Bake oats for 40 minutes, then give them a stir. Sprinkle sugar all over the oats, and scatter reserved cubed butter on top. Continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until the top is glazed and bubbling.

  5. Step 5

    Sprinkle oatmeal with flaky sea salt, if you like. Serve oats with more cream and sugar on the side.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,235 user ratings
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Comments

Christa

Well, first of all, I'm grateful I used a 2-quart baking dish, because it was all I could do to get it in the oven without overflowing and spilling. On what postmodern New York planet did you get everything to fit in a 1-1/2-quart baking dish? Do the math ... 7 cups of liquid is nearly 2 quarts. After 40 minutes it was still liquid, and it overflowed the too-small pan and spilled everywhere. Merry Christmas! USE A BIGGER PAN, and do your math beforehand.

LitProf

Thanks to everyone for your comments. I made the recipe as written (I used Trader Joe's organic steel-cut oats), but instead of the 1.5 quart dish I used a 3.5 quart Dutch oven. It turned out perfectly - no excess liquid -- and the whole family devoured it. I served it with sliced bananas, raisins, and almonds. The pinch of sea salt at the end is crucial; it rounds out the flavors. I hope this note is helpful to readers considering making this!

Carol

I am grateful to Ms. Clark for sharing this recipe - in my oatmeal-loving household, this dish was a big hit. To quote my husband, "This tastes like something they would serve for breakfast at a high-end Scottish inn." This recipe is worth making for the visual effects alone - the bubbly sugar-and-butter topping is lovely. To Christa: thank you for the suggestion of using a larger baking dish. Sorry to hear about your mess, but you earned stars in your heavenly crown by warning us.

Lucy

Overall quite good. As others have noted, depending on your chosen vessel it is a bit nerve-wracking to lift something brimming with boiling water into a hot oven. I made a few adjustments - lactase milk instead of cream, no extra butter and sugar on top - and it was still very tasty. More work than using a rice cooker, but much more flavor. Perfect for a fall morning.

Edstricurious

This is one of my family’s favorite recipes. I have subbed out milk, half & half, pumpkin spice mix for the cream and spices. I always brown the butter before I toast the oats. This recipe is almost perfect with the exception of the process. Make this in a Dutch oven. The baking dish is confounding. It’s BARELY large enough to contain all of the liquid and oats and does not bake as well.

glup s

I would suggest increasing spices by 0.5 tsp each, with the amount of oats the flavoring ends up fairly subtle. Otherwise really good! I was expecting a creme brûlée-style top, which is not what I got (more of a soft caramel) but it still tasted great and mixed into the oatmeal well

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