Seared Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme

A quick and simple way to use up leftover mushrooms in your fridge. An instant side dish to supplement any elegant meal, or in my case - pasta with canned vodka sauce

The trick to browning mushrooms is not to overcrowd the mushrooms! A tip I learned from reading about Julia Child's work. And a little patience goes a long way in searing.

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 ounce mushrooms (such as maitake, oyster, and/or king trumpet) cut into large pieces
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 springs thyme
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed


1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Arrange mushrooms in skillet in single layer and cook, undisturbed, until bottom side is golden brown (about 3 minutes).
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Toss mushrooms, continue to cook, tossing often and reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching, until golden brown all over (about 5 minutes or more).
4. Reduce heat to medium and add butter, thyme sprigs, and garlic.
5. Tip skillet towards you so the butter pools at bottom edge. Spoon foaming butter over mushrooms until butter smells nutty (about 4 minutes). This will also brown the garlic to make it crispy for added texture.