How To Use Sage In Cooking

Nothing screams fall quite like the taste and smell of cooking with fresh sage leaves in the kitchen. Sage is often found in many holiday dishes and is commonly used to season poultry or sausage, infuse butter, or to add flavor to root vegetables like sweet potatoes or parsnips. In fact, the most common time you've probably tasted sage and not even known it is in a Thanksgiving stuffing. Like most herbs, sage is incredibly aromatic, so much so that you can often smell it before you even start cooking with it.

Also known by its scientific name, salvia officinalis, sage is sometimes referred to as common sage or garden sage—this is what you'll typically find at your local grocery store. Sage is also considered a perennial plant, which means that, unlike annuals or biennials, it lives for more than two years and isn't limited to just one specific growing season.

A part of the mint "family," sage is native to the Mediterranean and is pretty easy to spot amongst the other herbs at the store. Unlike rosemary, thyme, or parsley, sage leaves have a large oblong shape and often appear to have a fuzzy white outer texture, similar to peaches. While it's common to find fresh sage leaves in this form, you'll also find sage leaves dried and minced or "rubbed," often in the spice aisle. Both kinds, however, can be used in the kitchen to create dishes with amazing flavor. Try some of the ideas below and see how you can cook with fresh sage and incorporate it into your dishes this fall.

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Fry sage in brown butter.

Fresh sage leaves are great when fried and used as a garnish on side dishes. Add a couple tablespoons of butter to a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Add around 10-12 sage leaves and fry, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add a pinch of salt and swirl to dissolve. Drizzle the sauce and sage leaves over roasted vegetables or a bowl of mashed potatoes.

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Make a compound butter with sage.

Customizing your own flavored butter is a nice way to incorporate the flavors of sage into your cooking. To make some, beat 1 stick softened butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until fluffy. Add 2 tablespoons chopped sage, along with other flavors you like, such as lemon zest, red pepper flakes or minced garlic. Add salt to taste and mix until combined. You can use this compound butter on cooked steak, or simply spread it on a roll.

Season a whole chicken with sage.

If you're in the market for roasting a whole chicken, add some extra flavor and sprinkle some minced fresh sage on your chicken before you put it in the oven. You can include your go-to seasonings, like salt, pepper, garlic and onion—just add some of the dried sage along with your olive oil or butter.

Make a marinade with sage.

Similar to seasoning the outside of your poultry with sage, you can build even more flavor by marinating your meat with chopped sage. If you're using an oil-based marinade, add some chopped fresh sage along with your usual seasonings to whatever container you're using to marinate your meat overnight.

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