Transform Papa John’s Garlic Sauce Into an Extraordinary Complex Butter

When I was in college, my roommate and I often ordered what we called “hangover pizza.” There was nothing special about the pizza. It was almost always Papa John’s pepperoni pizza because we loved the garlic sauce and also because the local greasy pizzeria (Five Star) was tough on an already unstable stomach. (Five Star Pizza was a great drunk pizza, but a terrible hangover pizza.)

Anyway. I rarely eat Papa John’s now, but the other day I developed a craving for the stock garlic sauce, so I ordered a hangover pizza, even though I didn’t have a hangover, and additionally ordered garlic sauce. One of the little jars had been sitting in my fridge for a few weeks, and while I was originally going to take it out the next time I enjoyed Totino’s Party pizza, I decided to see if I could mix it with the unholy garlic compound. oil.

It could be, and it was.

Mixing a bath of Papa John’s Garlic Sauce with a chunk of salted butter results in garlic butter that tastes a little outlandish and sticky. It’s very spicy and garlicky in a commercial sense, and you feel a little sloppy enjoying it, but that being said, that’s half the fun. The two fats compete in taste, and as soon as your tongue begins to taste the garlic sauce for what it is, the oil swoops in, as if to say, “There is nothing to see here! I’m just plain garlic butter!” It’s fun.

I used salted butter because I rarely buy unsalted butter, but if your taste is easily overwhelmed with sodium, I recommend using unsalted butter and then seasoning with salt if you think it’s necessary.

As with any compound oil, you should start by making sure both ingredients are at room temperature. This ensures that your compound butter whips up fluffy and glossy rather than greasy and sticky. Cut the butter into quarters, then add it to the bowl of a food processor along with the garlic sauce. Mix to fully combine. Use it to bake spoiled garlic bread, fry an egg in it, or dip your hangover pizza in it for a slightly upbeat but authentic hangover pizza.