Our New Favorite Ina Garten Recipe Has Just 6 Ingredients

It instantly upgrades any dish.

I have this habit where I can’t turn down fresh herbs. At the grocery store, I never miss hitting up the herb section; at the farmer’s market, I can’t pass up the tables with the big piles of them, and if my friend offers some of his just-picked-from-the-garden bounty, you know I’m saying “yes.”

And I have plenty of ways to use them in my cooking arsenal, but there always seems to be just the teeniest bit left, which annoys me. What am I supposed to do with a few leaves of parsley and the lone, scraggly scallion?

If you grow, buy, and enthusiastically accept fresh herbs from friends like I do, then you likely need some ideas on how to use the extra tablespoon or two that’s always left over.

I suggest you follow Ina Garten’s lead and add them to your butter (grab a stick or two of the butter Garten swears by to really live right).

That’s right, Garten’s herb-y version of compound butter is easy to make and is delicious on everything from grilled fish and baked sweet potatoes to a humble slice of toast.

Luckily, I almost always have butter in my fridge (I also have a butter problem), which means I can make a delicious compound butter to amp up meals anytime. I love using Garten’s recipe for herb butter as a base, and then building or subtracting from it depending on what I have.

How to Make Ina Garten’s Compound Butter

To make Garten’s butter, you need two sticks of unsalted butter. She suggests using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, but I find that using a silicone spatula and a bowl is perfectly sufficient.

Next, add minced garlic, scallions, fresh dill, fresh parsley, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. After smashing and smooshing everything together, you can either shape the butter into a log, roll it up in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it, or serve it right away.

You only need a tiny bit of fresh herbs for her recipe, which is why it’s perfect for all of those leftover bits and pieces of herbs and aromatics. If I don’t have one or two of the herbs, I’ll substitute something else. Maybe I’ll add some tarragon or rosemary, or if I have cilantro, I’ll use that and omit the dill and swap lime juice for lemon juice.

How to Use Ina Garten’s Compound Butter Recipe

As I mentioned earlier, it’s such a delicious addition to many dishes. I love it on potatoes (baked, mashed, smashed, even tater tots!), and it’s an awesome, flavorful topper for shrimp or fish. I even enjoy it on my morning English muffin topped with fluffy scrambled eggs, made using Garten's top tip, of course.

Next time, don’t toss those herb scraps! Instead, grab some butter and make Garten’s compound butter!

Read the original article on All Recipes.