Description
Roasted Garlic Cowboy Butter is a deliciously rich and flavorful compound butter, perfect for enhancing the taste of steaks, shrimp, warm bread, and more. This creamy butter blend features slow-roasted garlic combined with fresh herbs, Dijon mustard, and a robust mix of spices, offering a savory kick with every bite.
Ingredients
Roasted Garlic
- 2 heads garlic, about 10-12 cloves each
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Butter
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon coarse Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 400°F (200°C) to prepare for roasting the garlic.
- Prepare Garlic Heads: Using your fingers, peel away all the loose papery layers around the garlic heads, keeping the cloves intact. Trim about ¼ inch off the tops to expose the individual cloves inside.
- Wrap Garlic for Roasting: Place the garlic heads in the center of a 10-inch square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, allowing it to saturate the cloves. Fold the foil up and seal it tightly, forming a packet.
- Roast Garlic: Place the foil packet in the oven and roast for 50-60 minutes, or until the garlic cloves are soft and golden brown.
- Cool and Extract Garlic: Remove the garlic from the oven and carefully open the foil packet to let the garlic cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the softened, roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into a medium bowl, discarding the skins.
- Mix Cowboy Butter: Add softened butter, Dijon mustard, chopped chives, parsley, thyme, lemon juice, paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to the bowl with the garlic. Stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined to form a flavorful compound butter, approximately ⅔ cup.
- Shape and Chill Compound Butter: Scoop the mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap and roll it into a log shape, pressing and shaping as you go. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight until firm.
- Alternative Usage – Butter Dip: To use as a dip, melt the cowboy butter mixture in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring between each until fully melted.
- Storage: Store leftover cowboy butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Use fresh herbs for the best flavor in the compound butter.
- Roasted garlic can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for quick mixing later.
- Adjust cayenne and crushed red pepper flakes to control the heat level to your preference.
- This butter pairs exceptionally well with grilled steaks, roasted shrimp, crusty bread, or baked potatoes.
- To freeze, wrap the butter log tightly in plastic and place it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Sauce & Condiment
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
