Brown Butter Collards
Use brown butter instead of pork fat to sautee and season these collards for a New Year's Day tradition, or any day after the first frost, when collards are best.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr
Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: brown butter, collards, vegetarian
- 14 big collard leaves (or ~12 cups of shredded fresh collard greens)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ large yellow onion diced
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 4 cups water (or enough water to just cover greens)
- 4 teaspoons smoked salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- black pepper to taste
If your collards are still whole, use scissors to remove the tough middle stem. Cut remaining pieces into small, bite sized ribbons. Wash in a large colander to remove any sand, etc. Shake to dry as best you can and set aside.
Put the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally over the next 5-7 minutes as the butter begins to brown. DO NOT walk away here. Once the butter begins to form brown specks, add in the onions.
Stir to coat the onions and let cook another 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the butter from burning. Add in the collards and stir to coat. Cook for an additional 1 minute.
Pour in the stock, then the water. Only add as much water as is needed to just cover the top of the greens. Add 3 teaspoons of the smoked salt, and some black pepper.
Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 45 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally. You can walk away from the stove at this point.
After 45 minutes, taste for texture. Cook longer if they are too tough for your liking.
Once done, remove from heat, add apple cider vinegar, plus more salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately.