Brown Butter Garlic Porridge – a winter warmer that marries the nutty richness of brown butter with the aromatic essence of garlic. Despite oats being traditionally linked to sweetness, they’re versatile for quick savory dishes. Savory oatmeal is a tasty, hearty option any time of day, with endless topping possibilities based on what you have (keep scrolling).

January’s wintry embrace has firmly taken hold. With the cold weather in mind, naturally, my thoughts turn to food, so I’ve created the perfect warming meal to usher in the new year season: savory porridge adorned with an array of truly delicious toppings.

Now, before you contemplate clicking away at the mention of savory porridge—perhaps envisioning something less than appetizing—do stay a while longer. This, mark my words, is the ultimate winter repast; fit for lunch, breakfast, or even a midnight snack, this is a simple, versatile and yet delicious meal that you can prepare either for yourself, or a crowd.

Shallot and garlic crisp

It’s rather extraordinary how the simplest of ingredients can yield such delightful flavors.

For this wonderful addition, start by heating an inch of neutral oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. When the oil is ready, fry the shallots and garlic until they turn golden-brown. Once they’ve reached this point of caramelized perfection use a slated spoon to remove them from the oil and then set aside. Leave the residual garlicky oil in the pan because its moment of glory has yet to arrive.

Crispy Bacon

More culinary enchantment at play! Adding crispy bacon can so often elevate the simplest dish and the magic is amplified when the leftover bacon fat becomes the medium not only to char the leeks, but also as a base for the brown butter.

Charred Leeks

You can always sub the leeks for spring onions, but leeks are far more complex and a little sweeter.

For this dish I charred the leeks in a little leftover bacon fat then placed them on a paper towel, before adding a sprinkle of salt. Truly delicious.

Bacon-y brown butter

It just keeps getting better, doesn’t it? The idea here is to avoid waste. That burnt stuff (from the bacon and leeks) on the bottom of the pan is flavor gold! Simply add butter to the pan and cook until it turns light brown and smells nutty. This will take approximately 5 minutes. The butter will turn into frothy, bacon-y/leek-y goodness that you can drizzle onto your porridge.

Sort-of salsa verde – the lazy version

This could not be simpler and is a welcome acidic addition. Simply take a handful of parsley, a few caper berries, caper berry brine, EVOO, a few leftover shallots (from the shallot and garlic crisp) and salt and pepper. Mix and heaven awaits.