How to Roast Garlic

Garlic is a staple in my cooking. I am not exaggerating when I say that almost every single thing I cook starts with sautéed onions and garlic, but luckily, it is a healthy addiction!

Roasting garlic is really easy, and the result is a delicious addition to almost any dish. It's great in sauces, with pasta, in soups or salads, and my favorite is garlic bread - mash up a roasted clove on a piece of french bread, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and parmesan cheese, and toast it in the oven for a few minutes. (Come back and thank me later :)  If you prefer a more subtle taste, simple rub a clove of roasted garlic over the surface of some freshly toasted bread.

For the longest time I thought you had to have one of those fancy clay garlic roasters to make your own good roasted garlic, but that's not true at all! I'm going to show you the way I make it.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 bulbs of garlic
• 2-3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper (optional)

• aluminum foil

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 350˚.

Start preparing the garlic by peeling off the outside layers of paper. You'll know when to stop when you can see the individual cloves. You can leave the rest of the skin on, as in photo below, and it will come off very easily after roasting.

With a very sharp knife, slice off the top of the bulb to expose the tops of the individual cloves. Also cut off the 'butt' of the garlic to do the same on the other side.

Place the prepared garlic bulbs in a small baking dish or on top of a piece of foil on a baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. It's ok if some of the cloves get separated from the bulb.

If you are using a baking dish, cover it with foil. If you are using a sheet of foil on top of a baking sheet, wrap the foil around the garlic to cover completely and form a nice little parcel to contain the oil as it cooks.

Place it in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Garlic should be soft when finished; test with a fork.

After the garlic cools enough to touch, you can squeeze the cloves out of the skin easily or peel them by hand.

NOTES: 

You can use any leftover olive oil for cooking, or store it in the fridge in a tightly sealed container along with your roasted garlic.

Try adding other herbs and spices into the mix, like fresh rosemary or thyme. Dried herbs work well too.

Use this garlic in recipes that call for fresh garlic and see what difference it makes! What fabulous recipes will you try with your delicious home-roasted garlic?