Horseradish Butter

Super simple recipe this week!  This horseradish butter is a cracking one to use with steak, roast beef, roasted veggies and to be honest on toast too 😉  A mixture of some simple fresh herbs, a little acidity from a splash of lemon juice and a few spoons of horseradish cream and in about 5 minutes you have the PERFECT butter to go with that medium rare steak!

 

Growing up in Ireland our weekend "tradition/family meal" was typically a roast dinner on Sunday night.  A big hunk of roast beef, some crispy roast potatoes, some roasted veggies, yorkshire puddings and a dollop of horseradish sauce.  I used to put about a teaspoon of horseradish on every bite of roast beef I could.  Partially due to beef generally being cooked more medium well in those days but also because I love the stuff.  Over here in Australia Mrs AnotherFoodBlogger and I eat a fair bit of steak.  The quality is fantastic and as we both like our meat cooked medium rare it also means a quick(ish) dinner to make.  From rubs, marinades to sauces like chimichurri we have tried TONS of different options.

So when I was thinking of my latest way to serve our steak dinner and seeing a jar of horseradish in the fridge from making my cured salmon and horseradish ricotta recipe I figured lets throw some simple horseradish butter together!  Well, I can defo say it's a success.  So much so that my folks are over from Ireland and we are having steaks with horseradish butter tomorrow!

WHAT IS HORSERADISH

Horseradish is a root vegetable.  It is known as a cruciferous vegetable.  Other vegetables in this category include wasabi (also known as Japanese horseradish), mustard, broccoli, cabbage and kale.  Aesthetically horseradish isn't a looker.  It's a similar shape as a parsnip.  Typically a little thicker at the top and gets thinner down the bottom where the roots are.  The skin is rough/bumpy and is a mustard colour where as the flesh is white once peeled.  The taste is hot, spicy and peppery.  Unlike chili peppers that burn your throat horseradish tends to hit your nose and eyes first.

TYPES OF HORSERADISH

As mentioned before horseradish and beef is a classic combo.  Britain hotels, restaurants, pubs and homes would have classically served the traditional roast dinner with all the trimmings.  Horseradish (like this recipe) would be in the form of horseradish cream.  This is where horseradish is prepared by grating and adding the likes of vinegar and salt.  It is then mixed with things like sour cream, cream and/or mayonnaise.  This is what we buy in jars in most supermarkets.  Nowadays it's easy and common to get hold of fresh horseradish in your local market, grocery store or veg shop.  Grate it into butter, into mayonnaise or on top of salad there are tons of uses.  I'm a fan of it on top of devilled eggs personally - hmmmmm maybe I'll make a new recipe up soon.

INGREDIENTS FOR HORSERADISH BUTTER

 

Butter - it wouldn't be horseradish butter without butter would it? A simple salted butter is my butter of choice for this recipe.

Horseradish Cream - being lazy, not wanting to peel/grate horseradish and the fact I had some in my fridge mean't I used a few spoons of this fella for my horseradish fix.  The beauty is it's got a great shelf life too so it means you can make this sauce on the regular with everyday ingredients

Chives - a relative of onion but with a milder taste/flavour.  These guys offer a hint of garlic and are perfect in most herb butters

Parsley - I've always got some in the fridge.  Parsley is a super versatile herb and used widely with all meats and veg.  A slightly bitter taste but the addition of it can really brighten up many dishes.

Lemon Juice - much like parsley lemon juice brightens up a dish, adds good acidity and a feeling of freshness too.  I've always got lemons in the fridge so once again a fridge staple!

ALTERNATIVE STEAK SAUCES

Miso butter by yours truly

Homemade Steak Sauce by Susan Moran of 'The View From Great Island'

Double Mustard & Garlic Sauce by Lee Ann Grace of 'Chef Not Required'

Black Garlic Aioli by yours truly

Bourbon Peppercorn Sauce by Pam Brand of 'Biscuits and Burlap'

Anchovy Caper Salsa by yours truly

ALTERNATIVE HORSERADISH RECIPES

DELICIOUS Horseradish Mashed Potatoes by Adrianne Jamieson of 'Sweet Caramel Sunday'

Beetroot & Gin Cured Salmon w/ Horseradish Ricotta by yours truly

Slow Cooker Horseradish Pot Roast by Sarah Olson' of 'The Magical Slow Cooker'

Horseradish Chicken Schnitzel by Carolyn Mazzocco of 'Carolyns Cooking'

Horseradish Roast Potatoes by Erica Walton Schwarz of 'Ericas Recipes'

Happy Cooking and Happy Eating Friends!!!