Butter and Bacon! And Roasted Garlic! And Chipotle en Adobo Peppers! And Butter!
Oh wait, I already mentioned butter. But for reals, butter is one of my favorite things. And so are all of the ingredients in this super awesome and boldly flavored Bacon and Roasted Garlic Chipotle Butter!
Compound butter is one of those super-easy, time-saving cooking hacks that I’ve somehow been able to completely overlook. Until now. At a minimum, you can just combine fresh or dried herbs with a stick of butter and voila! Compound butter. Then refrigerate or freeze until needed. And it’s stupidly easy to just reach for a pat when you want to liven up your toast, scrambled eggs, baked potato, (insert other delicious foods improved by butter here).
My version requires a *scosh* more work than simply mixing in herbs, but this bold and smoky flavor bomb is worth the effort. Plus, have you ever roasted a head of garlic in the oven while also baking a pan of bacon? It’s money. BEST. SMELLS. EVER. You’ll want to throw away all your air fresheners and just toss in some bacon and garlic whenever you expect company.
Once the hard part is done (the waiting for the garlic to roast and bacon to cook, of course), and your other ingredients are assembled, this Bacon and Roasted Garlic Chipotle Butter comes together real quick.
The chipotle en adobo peppers add a bold smokiness with a pleasantly spicy punch. The sweet roasted garlic helps temper the heat and rounds out the flavor. And bacon, with its savory saltiness, is a welcome addition to this flavor party. Who am I kidding? Bacon is always a welcome addition (sorry vegetarians!).
That’s really all you need here, but I like to add citrus in the form of lime juice to help tame the richness and brighten up the flavor.
Shameless picture of a pat of Bacon and Roasted Garlic Chipotle Butter gettin’ all melty and delicious.
I can confirm that this Bacon and Roasted Garlic Chipotle Butter is delicious:
- Slathered on bread
- Melted over grilled chicken
- Cooked with a fried egg
- Tossed into a creamy sauce that needs some zip
I have a sneaking suspicion this compound butter will make an appearance on my next turkey sandwich, pan of tender-roasted fingerling potatoes, and jar of homemade alfredo sauce.
- 1 head roasted garlic
- 1 (7 oz.) can chipotle en adobo peppers
- 2 sticks salted sweet cream butter, room temperature (I used Land O'Lakes)
- 4 slices cooked bacon (I used Hormel Black Label)
- ½ tablespoon bacon grease
- ½ tablespoon lime juice
- Add butter, roasted garlic, the entire can of chipotle en adobo peppers, lime juice, and bacon grease to a food processor.
- Process until smooth; this may take a few minutes and will require several stops and to scrape down the sides.
- Chop the bacon into small pieces and add to the processor. Process until just mixed, around 15 seconds.
- Pour compound butter onto parchment paper.
- Spread it into an even, long log.
- Roll your compound butter up. Check out the provided link below for a handy way to easily achieve a neat roll with a sheet pan.
- Twist the ends of the parchment paper up near each end of the compound butter roll.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the butter firms up.
- Use straight from the fridge, or take it out for a few minutes before use to soften - this improves spreadability.
**If you’re on a low-carb, low-sugar diet, this is a great way to inject some flavor into your meals with healthy fats. (Please note I’m not a nutritionist and I recommend you check each ingredient to determine exact nutritional information).
Adapted from Tasting Table’s Chipotle and Roasted Garlic Compound Butter, which is an excellent recipe, especially if you’re looking for a vegetarian version.
Use this handy method to neatly roll your compound butter up. Scroll halfway down the linked page to see how you can achieve a neat, even roll with a sheet pan.
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