Why Cowboy Butter Should Be The Star Of Your Next Noodle Dish

Few things bring the comfort of childhood nostalgia rushing back like the taste of buttered noodles. Warm, silky, and ridiculously tasty for being so simple, buttery pasta appeals to kids and adults alike as a foundation for strips of grilled chicken and roasted vegetables, a side for marinated cod, or even as a midnight snack all on its own (we won't tell). It can even become the beloved staple of potlucks and sophisticated dinner parties if you zhuzh it up with a dollop or two of classic cowboy butter to pack in the flavor.

Cowboy butter is essentially just a compound butter infused with seasonings that pair with classic Southern and Southwestern style dishes. There's a rumor that name may have originated at Mr. Donahue's, a Southern-style restaurant in New York City that has since closed, but this theory remains unconfirmed. However, we do know that what sets cowboy butter apart from all other types of butter is the flavor profile. Think spicy, smoky, and pungent — big flavors that take that plate of buttery fettuccine from Rome all the way to Austin or Santa Fe.

For instance, it'd be a real faux pas to whip butter together with lavender and honey and call it cowboy butter. Despite how tasty this might be on a square of cornbread or a buttermilk biscuit, one requirement of this simple but tasty condiment is that it contains flavors you could envision buckaroos enjoying around a campfire over baked beans or roasted potatoes.

Logically, the first step in making your very own customized cowboy butter is choosing your seasonings. If you love Southwestern flavor but not the spicy heat that comes with it, don't worry — you can still add creamy roasted garlic, sweet smoked paprika, chives, Dijon mustard (or mustard powder), and a whole host of fresh herbs like tarragon, parsley, and cilantro. All of these ingredients bring a stampede of flavor to your cowboy butter without adding a speck of heat.

If you're a spice fiend, feel free to combine the seasonings above with dried chili flakes, hot smoked paprika, powdered cayenne, and even a few drops of hot sauce. Once everything is creamed together with a hand or stand mixer, you can dollop it into a lidded glass container to chill in the fridge until you're ready to enjoy the best butter noodles of your life. Cowboy butter is also an incredible addition to cowboy-style baked potatoes loaded with Southwest flavors. Just drizzle the butter onto the potato before loading up with chili, cheese, or pulled pork.

Cowboy butter is a super fun offering to add to a trendy and delicious bread and butter flight as well. Flights featuring butter made from different milks and mixed with different flavors are becoming more popular, so it only makes sense to jump on the wagon by pairing some cowboy butter with corn muffins and fluffy biscuits at your next get-together.