Try Potent Horseradish Butter To Elevate Your Next Ribeye Steak

A longtime favorite known for its excellent marbling fat, tenderness, and flavor, the ribeye steak needs no introduction. Taken from the ribs of the cow, ribeyes are beautiful when cooked with just a little seasoning of salt and pepper. If, however, you're looking to really elevate the flavors of the steak and don't mind a spicy kick, you might want to consider some potent horseradish butter the next time you're planning to enjoy a ribeye.

Horseradish is a pungent root that is part of the mustard family of plants known as Brassicaceae.  Characterized by its intense spice, horseradish gets its distinctive potent flavor from the volatile mustard oils present in the root. Prepared horseradish consists of the grated root along with some salt and vinegar to stabilize the flavors and mildly reduce the harshness. This is the most likely variety of horseradish you will use to make the compound butter, but you can also find it raw at most grocery stores or farmers markets.

Compound butters add extra flavor to meat, fish, and vegetables. Steak, in particular, benefits from the salt, creaminess, and herbal flavors of a compound butter. Since horseradish pairs well with roast beef sandwiches and hamburgers, setting it alongside something as flavorful as a ribeye is a surefire path to a great steak dinner.

One thing to note before you go about making a horseradish butter is to make sure that you are pairing it with nothing more than a normally seasoned ribeye. More intense seasonings might affect the flavors of both the steak and the horseradish, so stick to basic salt and pepper if you plan to add a horseradish compound butter.

The process of making horseradish butter is simple. All you need is a stick of softened, unsalted butter and some prepared horseradish — however much suits your taste buds. Feel free to play around with the measurements or add extra ingredients like minced scallions, chives, basil, oregano, rosemary, or parsley for additional depth of flavor. Once you have mixed everything together with the softened butter, roll it in a few layers of plastic wrap to form a log shape, then refrigerate it for a few hours.

While your ribeyes are resting, take the butter out of the fridge and allow it to soften slightly. For serving, place a slice of the horseradish butter atop each warm steak to melt over the meat. With every bite, you'll get the salty, beefy flavor of the ribeye, alongside the kick of horseradish and any other herbs you've added. It'll make what would have been a regular, flavorful steak, into an elevated, wonderful plate.