Roasted Garlic: When garlic is roasted, it is transformed from something punchy, spicy and sharp into something sweet, mellow and buttery soft – perfect for smearing on warm, crusty bread, scooping into mashed potatoes or blending into soups, dressings and sauces. And it’s ridiculously easy to make.
Roasting garlic is easily one of those things, another tool in your kitchen arsenal, that can elevate your savory dishes from delicious to sublime.
How to use roasted garlic in your dishes? Click here.
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INGREDIENTS:
- Whole heads of garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Foil
- Baking sheet
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F(204°C) degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with foil.
– Set a large piece of foil on a baking sheet – large enough to completely wrap your garlic.
– If making a large batch, line a whole baking pan with foil. (Keep in mind you want your garlic to be snug.)
- You can squeeze about 25 large heads of garlic in a 13×9-inch baking pan.
2. Peel the outermost papery skins off the garlic heads.
– Start with nice plump, firm garlic for the best flavor.
- Roasting is actually a great way to use aging garlic. But avoid garlic with long, green sprouts, because there can be bitterness. Also, mushy or sour-smelling garlic should be avoided as well.
– Peel the outermost papery skins off the garlic heads. Leave the head intact.
3. Cut off the top 1/4-inch, exposing the garlic cloves. Place on the foil.
– Slice off about 1/4-inch from the top of the garlic head.
– Place the trimmed heads of garlic in the center of your sheet of foil.
- Don’t throw away the sliced-off tips of garlic! (Use them for some tasty Sinangag (Filipino Garlic Fried Rice with Crispy Garlic).)
4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap securely.
– Drizzle olive oil generously over the heads of garlic.
– Sprinkle with salt.
– Wrap the heads of garlic securely in the foil (to keep in any steam). If using a baking pan, cover securely with foil.
5. Roast for 45 minutes or longer, until soft and buttery.
– Roast for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on how large the heads of garlic are and how many you are roasting) until the garlic is soft and buttery.
- If you wish, you can keep roasting your garlic longer for even more caramelization.
6. Remove the garlic from the papery skins. Use right away or store refrigerated in oil.
– Remove the roasted garlic cloves from the papery skins.
- The quick way would be to squeeze the head of garlic like a tube of toothpaste. But I find much less waste if I take the time to take out each clove individually.
– Store in olive oil (or vegetable oil) in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- Bonus: You now have roasted garlic-infused oil to use in your cooking or dressings and aiolis!
– You can freeze your roasted garlic, too.
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How to use roasted garlic:
Roasted garlic is rich and full-flavored, but is also smooth and mellow enough to eat by the spoonful.
– Serve as whole roasted cloves or mashed into a silky spread with a little salt and pepper:
- Spoon onto burgers or hot sandwiches and paninis.
- Serve alongside roasts, steaks and chops.
- Toss into pasta, rice or potatoes.
- Spoon over roasted or steamed vegetables.
- Stir into soups.
- Bake into focaccia or smear onto bagels and warm, crusty bread.
- Puree into hummus or other dips.
- Blend into salad dressings, sauces and aiolis.
So many possibilities. So next time you decide to roast a head of garlic, throw in a second one (or third one) for good measure.
Below: Roasted Garlic with Reverse-Seared Steak and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Garlic.
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Related Recipes:
Love garlic?
Sinangag (Filipino Garlic Fried Rice)
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (with Roasted Garlic)
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Want to know about some of the health benefits from eating garlic?
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265853
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