Rosemary Compound Butter -- The Herb That Sent My Lamb on Vacation

Third week of May. My knee has been good this month — the shorter route and the cortisone are doing their work, and I'm walking the eastern half with something approaching my old stride, which makes me feel twenty years younger and twelve inches taller, though I am neither. The spring has been kind to my body the way spring is kind to everything: with warmth, with light, with the reminder that things that were dormant can wake up again.

Walter Jr. was promoted this week — senior operations coordinator at FedEx, the desk job after years on the floor. The promotion means more money, better hours, and the chance to use his brain instead of his back, and I am proud of him in the quiet way that fathers are proud of sons who have found their way without asking for directions. He called to tell me, and his voice had the cautious happiness of a man who doesn't want to jinx it, and I said, "Junior, you earned this." He said, "Thanks, Dad." Two words. Enough.

I made smoked lamb shoulder this week — a departure from my usual pork-and-beef territory, inspired by Mrs. Nguyen's pho, which showed me that flavor traditions I don't know can teach me things my own tradition can't. The lamb shoulder: rubbed with cumin, coriander, garlic, rosemary, and black pepper — warmer spices than my pork rub, Mediterranean-leaning — and smoked at 250 over a mix of hickory and mesquite for eight hours. The mesquite is strong, almost bitter, but it plays with the lamb's gaminess in a way that hickory alone can't, and the cumin and coriander gave the bark an aromatic quality that smelled like somewhere I've never been but would like to visit.

The lamb was extraordinary. Different from pork — leaner, more assertive, with a flavor that demands attention rather than asking for it. I pulled it and served it in pita bread with tzatziki and pickled red onion, and Rosetta said, "Earl Johnson, you just made Greek food." I said, "I made Memphis food that went on vacation." She said, "It should go on vacation more often." I will take this under advisement.

The rosemary in that lamb rub was the detail I kept coming back to after dinner — the way it held its own against the mesquite smoke and the cumin without disappearing, the way it smelled like the bark and the herb garden at the same time. If Junior’s promotion taught me that a man can grow into a bigger version of himself without losing who he is, the rosemary taught me the same thing about cooking: this herb has been waiting in my spice drawer to do more work, and a rosemary compound butter is where I intend to let it. Melt a pat of this over sliced lamb shoulder — or honestly over anything that just came off the smoker — and you’ll understand what Rosetta meant about going on vacation more often.

Rosemary Compound Butter

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling) | Servings: 12 (1-tablespoon pats)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Soften the butter. Let the butter sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes until fully softened but not melted. It should give easily when pressed.
2. Combine the ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, minced rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Use a fork or rubber spatula to work everything together until evenly distributed throughout the butter.
3. Taste and adjust. Taste a small amount on a piece of bread or cracker and adjust salt, pepper, or lemon zest to your preference. The flavors will mellow slightly once chilled.
4. Roll and chill. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper on the counter. Spoon the butter mixture onto it in a rough log shape. Fold the wrap over the butter and roll into a tight cylinder about 1 inch in diameter. Twist the ends to seal.
5. Refrigerate. Chill for at least 1 hour until firm. The butter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.
6. Serve. Slice into 1/2-inch rounds and place directly on hot smoked lamb, grilled chicken, seared steak, or warm bread. Let it melt for 30 seconds before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 68 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 0g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 80mg