I made these on a Sunday with Sunday night dinner in mind. And while I wasn’t planning to share the recipe, I knew from the minute I pulled these cute little cheesy popovers out of the oven, that I indeed NEEDED to share this recipe. Let me explain a little. Popovers have always been a food that both my mom and I have loved. I first made them way back when I had just started cooking. So around the age of 12 or 13? It was for our family’s Thanksgiving and I was in charge of the popovers and spaghetti squash. I remember the Williams-Sonoma recipe so clearly. I also remember the popovers being perfect, like so delicious. But clearly I knew nothing back then, because those popovers score maybe a 2 in comparison to today’s parmesan popovers. Oh. So. Good.
So why the need to make popovers in early October when I normally reserve them for Thanksgiving? Well, as I said, it was a Sunday. I’d been working non-stop since 9 am on some very fun Halloween recipes (more to come this Friday). I needed a break from all the sugar and something inspired me to make popovers. I’m not sure exactly what brought this on, but the idea of parmesan popovers with hints of browned butter, crispy sage, and garlic sound just delightful (not a word I really use, but it seems to describe these popovers perfectly). About 5 minutes after dreaming up this recipe in my head, I was already browning butter and heating the oven in prep for popovers. And about an hour later I had these popovers in front of me. Complete with crispy sage and “roasted” garlic butter for serving. I called my mom, because that’s what I do when I make popovers. She practically ran down to try these…delivering the final “oh my God, these are sooo good”, seal of approval. And just like that the bestest (savory) popover was created. All in under an hour with almost no thought at all. I swear some of the best recipes are the ones I create on the fly. No overthinking, just take the initial idea and I run with it…I need to do this more often.
Here is how to make perfect parmesan popovers
The first step is key to this recipe. Brown some butter with garlic and fresh sage. As the butter browns, the garlic quickly caramelizes and the sage gets crispy. Reserve the garlic and sage for making the sage garlic butter, but use the browned butter within the actual popover batter. Second step, position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Popovers rise a lot so it’s important to give them room! Now, add a pat of butter to each popover cup and then place the pan in the oven to preheat. Heating the popover pan ensures the popovers will pop in the oven. This is the 6 cup popover pan that I have and love. Here is the 12 cup popover pan if you want to double the recipe. Tip: If you don’t have a popover pan, you can use a standard size muffin pan, but the popovers will be mini popovers. Still delicious, just smaller. OK, next mix the batter, which is a basic mix of milk, flour, and eggs. BUT it’s made special with that browned butter, a little parmesan, and if you’d like, fresh black pepper. I prefer these minus the pepper so that the flavor of the browned butter and parmesan really shines through, but you do what you feel you will love most. Add the batter to the hot popover pan and bake. About 40 minutes later you’ll have these popovers, and yes, your kitchen will smell amazing.
Ok, BUT. Let’s talk about that sage garlic butter…
Because it is very delicious and very much needed to complete these popovers. Take the “roasted” garlic and crispy sage from the already browned butter and mix it into the softened, salted butter. And now you have crispy sage garlic butter. Tip: you will want to smear this on everything, so double it. Simple, right?
By now I’ve made your mouth water, right? Or if not my words, you can’t deny those mouth-watering photos. I hope so because I really cannot stress enough just how “roll your eyes back” good these popovers are. This is one of those recipes that you’ll look forward to making every fall. These popovers are warming, cozy, and so easy to make. Plus, they go with pretty much any dinner you make. Slow cooker french chicken? Yes, for sure. Instant pot coq au vin? 100%. Creamy butternut and broccoli soup? Yep, great for dipping. Thanksgiving dinner? ABSOLUTELY. You can’t go wrong. Please do make these, and soon, I know you guys will love them. Oh, and lastly, my mom suggests that you simply make and eat these…all on their own. They don’t need to be paired together with a meal…they can BE the meal!
If you make these parmesan popovers with crispy sage garlic butter, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
