When I was in college, two older friends—an actual married couple—brought roasted garlic to my first dinner party. I’ll never forget the sight of them coming in from the cold carrying still-steaming packets of fragrant foil and a loaf of dark, crusty bread. If only adulthood were always that simple and sophisticated!
A good long roast mellows garlic’s sharpness and leaves a gentle, golden flavor behind. Enjoy smeared on toasted bread, stirred into a hot soup or mashed into your holiday potatoes. I love mixing it with chives or parsley in a homemade butter—try it on a baked potato— or smashing it into hummus.
Ingredients
- One or more whole heads of garlic
- Olive oil
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Peel the loose layers of skin from the garlic head, leaving the individual cloves wrapped. Use a sharp knife to cut away the top ¼-inch of the garlic, exposing the tops of the cloves.
Drizzle the garlic with olive oil then wrap tightly in foil. Set on a baking sheet and roast until soft and fragrant, about 40 minutes. Once it’s cool enough to touch, unwrap and use your fingers or a spoon to push the cloves out of their skins.
