Board Sauces

Green sauces that use fresh herbs and oil are nothing new. They include pesto, chermoula, chimichurri, and gremolata. They’re not hard to make, but chef Adam Perry Lang had an idea so simple and original that I slapped my forehead for not thinking of it myself.

In his book Charred and Scruffed, he takes a handful of fresh herbs and throws them on a cutting board, then he pours some olive oil on them, minces them together, lays meat snatched from a hot grill on the mixture, carves the meat, and tosses the cut meat in with the board sauce, which is enriched by the meat juices. The board sauce keeps the meat moist and brings it delicate new flavors. You might think the herbs would overwhelm the meat but you would be wrong. They maintain their proportional place in the background.

Don’t make board sauces ahead of time because, when mixed with other ingredients, the oil is friendly to the botulism microbe, even in the fridge.

Makes about ½ cup, enough for 2 pounds of meat

Takes 30 minutes

• 5 large fresh sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ fresh red jalapeño, stemmed and seeded
• ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt (optional)

While the meat is cooking, coarsely chop the sage, thyme, garlic, and jalapeño and put them in a coffee cup. Add the black pepper. Drizzle the oil into the cup. When ready to use, pour the herb-and-oil mix onto a cutting board or platter. Carve the meat and let the juices run! Roll the meat in the sauce so everything gets a light coating.