Hoffelgritz - Aka (To Our Surprise!) Cincinnati Goetta

Savory alternative to getting your oats! We had always thought this was my DH's family culinary contribution to the world! Have been making this for the past 25 years when the weather gets cooler and hot breakfasts are in order. Last year when DH's mother went to Cincinnati to see her auntie, she discovered Goetta. It turns out her father had lived for a time in Cincinnati and must have come up with his version! Who Knew? There are two ways we eat this one--as a warm thick porridge with a dab of butter and a twist of black pepper (best when freshly prepared)(please sir, may I have some more?); cooled in loaf pans and sliced to be sautéed until crispy served with fresh eggs & coffee for breakfast or brunch. Make sure to use steel cut NOT rolled oats--different animals when it comes to cooking! Please note the porridge must be thick but it is nice to retain some chewiness of the grain - this is open for debate amongst family members - some prefer less cooked and others prefer a more cooked down version. Stir frequently and use low heat to prevent scorching - consider a diffuser plate for gas burners. Freezes great!

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 1  medium yellow onion, medium dice
• 2  tablespoons salted butter
• 28  ounces steel cut oats, like McCann's
• 24  ounces  95% lean ground beef
• 48  ounces water
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 4  tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Dice onion.
2. Melt 2 ounces butter in heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven.
3. Add onion & sauté on low heat until translucent. Remove onion & butter - set aside.
4. Add ground round to pot and sauté until no pink or red is visible.
5. Drain beef fat if more than a tablespoon or so, but leave any browned crispies in pot.
6. Return onions and butter to pot with beef. Raise heat to medium-low and when sizzling nicely, add steel-cut oats and stir until all grains are nicely coated with fats and they begin to make popping sounds.
7. Add water and salt all at once and bring to simmer, then turn heat to low.
8. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add dabs of butter as it thickens. Add more water if grains are not fully cooked but porridge thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Turn thickened porridge into aluminum foil lined bread pans and either refrigerate or freeze. If freezing, once frozen, remove from bread pans & store in the aluminum foil within freezer bags. Thaw in fridge to slice.
10. Sauté slices until crisp in a dab of butter you have heated until sizzling in the pan--it's so good!