You know what makes me happy? Butter. Particularly, goodies that bathe in its golden sheen.  There's nothing like cooking potatoes and onions in a pan, letting them get all golden and crispy. The smell. The taste. The sizzle. Snap!
Doesn't get mo' betta. 

Or does it? 

I've got a recipe for jalapeno-lime butter that says otherwise. If the fact that I wanted to (maybe, did) cut slices of this compound butter and eat it all by itself is any testament to the bomb-diggity quality of this recipe then please,  allow me to preach on. 

After coming across this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks by Yotam Ottelenghi, I was inspired to make something similar.  Somewhere, in his book, Ottelenghi mentions something about slathering this butter on a sweet potato and that was all I needed to hear. It was on! 

Ingredients:
8 tbsp. (one stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 lime, juiced (approx. 1 1/2 tbsp)
Zest of one lime, grated
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions: 
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. 

That day, I made a heavenly lunch for myself and the Mister. Just a baked sweet potato and my new jalapeno-lime creation. It took incredible resolve not to finish the butter in one sitting. I'd like to give the leftover butter a whirl over some Huevos Rancheros, on top of quinoa patties or maybe in a quick cauliflower saute. 

One more thing, did you know that my friend Terra is hosting a festive gathering of recipes focused on citrus in the month of January? She's calling it Citrus Love and you can find a host of other citrus-inspired recipes here. I'm going to add this sassy little gem to the list. 

Let me know if you make this recipe at home and what dish you chose to grace with its buttery presence. 
Happy Thursday!