One of the great things I love about the holidays is using herbs from my garden. The trifecta of herbs for me is rosemary, sage, and thyme. The aromatics from these herbs are amazing! The smell transports you into a realm of holiday goodness. There are so many uses for these herbs, and they are not always for culinary dishes.
My favorite use of this herb trifecta is during Thanksgiving. I use it for the brine for the turkey, making a compound herb butter that goes under the skin of the turkey and using the compound butter combined with canola oil to coat the outside of the turkey before roasting. I know that is a lot of turkey talk, but I love it!
This Thanksgiving, I also used the compound herb butter, melted and brushed onto the made-from-scratch dinner rolls. Super tasty. Here is the recipe I put together, but you can put as much or as little herbs as you desire.
Make-Ahead Compound Herb Butter
The best thing about compound butter is that there is no wrong way to make it. This is a personal choice about the flavors that you like the most. Not to say you cannot get too crazy if you put too much in a compound butter, but if you keep it simple, you cannot go wrong. Here is my rendition of a make–ahead compound herb butter.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried sage (you may want to use less because sage can be very strong)
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon honey
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients until well blended.
- Form into a log shape, then wrap in plastic wrap.
- Place into the fridge until set.
Non-Food Herb Use
One way I am using my herb trifecta this season is to freshen up my Christmas cards. Nothing says holiday better than rosemary, sage, and thyme. This is my chance to get a little crafty with the herbs. Besides, I have so many herbs out there, so why not put them to good use and share them in a very different way? This may be a spoiler for those on the Christmas card list, but this was a fun project to spread the holiday cheer.
