That’s the reaction I normally get when I mention the idea of eggs on oatmeal. Confused, incredulous, grimacing – I’ve seen it all. One friend even said, Okay, I get it, eggs are great. But that’s just wrong.
Well I disagree and so do a lot of others who love to explore foods. There even seems to be a movement afoot surrounding the idea and I feel downright vindicated in my discovery of savory oatmeal, or svoats, as a Huffington Post article called them. There are blogs aplenty espousing them and Martha Stewart has recipes for them, as do Real Simple, FoodNetwork and Food52 to name only a few.
I encountered it on a menu a few years ago at a diner on a business trip and have been enjoying my own creations ever since. I admit, I had mixed feelings about the one I ordered at the diner. But the warm oatmeal mixed with herbs, shredded cheese, and something crunchy (nuts? seeds?) and topped with a poached egg was a festival for the taste buds.
You likely run with the masses, assuming oatmeal should be sweet, topped with fruit, brown sugar, cream and/or some kind of syrup. The beauty is that its neutral flavor makes a terrific base for many creative flavor combinations.
Consider the following ideas:
Or how about mixing in some Sriracha, barbecued pork, garlic, salami or hollandaise sauce? The opportunities are endless and so is the potential for a great and easy-to-customize all-day menu item.