Wake up dinner side dish with garlicky butter bath

Broccoli and cauliflower are two of my go-to vegetables for dinner sides — my whole family loves them. But as the family cook, I quickly get bored with our biweekly rotation of roasted broccoli or mashed cauliflower. Boiling these two cruciferous vegetables in a garlicky butter bath is my favorite way to love and appreciate them.

I was introduced to butter bath cooking for corn on the cob. It makes even the best sweet summer corn impossibly better, so just imagine what it can do for basic broccoli and cauliflower (even the pre-cut bagged stuff ). Garlicky butter bath broccoli and cauliflower is going to make you fall back in love with these dinner staples.

Boiled and steamed vegetables get a bad rap for being too tender and flavorless, but butter bath boiling changes all that.

Makes: 6 servings

2 cups water

4 garlic cloves

¾ cup milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 pound broccoli florets

1 pound cauliflower florets

1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a large pot over mediumhigh heat. Meanwhile, mince 4 garlic cloves.

2. Add the garlic, ¾ cup milk, 1 stick unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the pot. Carefully add 1 pound broccoli florets and 1 pound cauliflower florets. Reduce the heat to medium and boil, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli and cauliflower are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and serve.

Essentially, you’re making a milk and butter broth to cook vegetables in. Add your favorite spices or aromatics — here, a ton of minced garlic — and the vegetables are infused with robust, unbeatable flavor.

The key to making truly delicious butter bath broccoli and cauliflower is to make sure you don’t overcook it. One-inch florets, like the kind you might find pre-cut in the produce section, take less than 10 minutes to cook.

Be sure to test them before draining — a fork should easily pierce their woody stems.

Speaking of draining, save a little butter bath. You can serve that garlicky elixir as a sauce for the vegetables.

JOE LINGEMAN/THEKITCHN.COM Boiled and steamed vegetables get a bad rap for being too tender and lacking in flavor but butter bath boiling can change that.