Herbed Butter for Everything

Sometimes the simplest recipes can have the greatest impact on a meal.

Yesterday’s Sunday supper was a summer-style menu with my baked farmers market pork chops (since we live in a downtown apartment, we don’t have a grill), sliced tomatoes and corn on the cob, along with my husband’s favorite birthday baked beans and potatoes roasted with the pork chops.  However, I wanted to add a little pizzazz to the meal, so I mixed up a compound butter to melt on the corn and potatoes.

Compound butters are so easy. Just allow a stick of butter to soften and then mix in your favorite flavors. I chose fresh thyme, rosemary, and black pepper. (Be careful to add more thyme than rosemary, since the rosemary’s pungent flavor could overtake the thyme.) This made a tasty and versatile butter that will taste great melting on top of just about anything—vegetables, beef, pork, chicken, fish, etc. I even plan to test it out with scrambled eggs.

In our household, this butter passed the ultimate test: My husband, The Picky Eater, declared it to be “good” and used it on all every ear of corn he enjoyed! I did the same, plus I allowed the butter to melt over the top of the roasted potatoes. (My husband used ketchup, of course.) I was tempted to put some on my pork chop, but I managed to exercise a little restraint.

Herbed Butter

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
 
Place the butter into a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and, using the back of a spoon, mash the ingredients into the butter. Spoon the butter mixture onto a piece of waxed paper and shape into a small log. Roll up the butter into the paper, twist the ends to close, and refrigerated until the butter is firm.