Recipe: Garlic Mustard Oil with Red Pepper Flakes

We basted a leg of spring lamb with this garlic mustard oil as the lamb was roasting in the oven. After the roast was done, we used the mildly garlicky drippings as the base for a sauce for the meat. This perfumed olive oil can also be used to baste roast chicken, replacing butter. It gives a crackly, salty, mild garlicky tang to roasts and meats but is also nice in a salad, on poached fish, drizzled over pizza, or stirred into mashed potatoes.

Makes 2 cups

1 1⁄2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1⁄2 ounces (2 cups) garlic mustard leaves, finely chopped

In a small pot, heat the olive oil until a chopstick dipped in it sizzles but the oil is otherwise still (140ºF). Remove from the heat. Add the salt, red pepper flakes, sugar, and garlic mustard. Let rest for a few hours at room temperature, then store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a month.