I suppose there's such a thing as too much garlic, but I haven't found that tipping point yet. Saute it with onions and carrots as the beginning to any dish, add it to a salad dressing, or use it in a marinade to make amazing steaks. Raw garlic has its uses (vampire repellent notwithstanding) but the best kind of garlic takes high heat and a little time to create something deliciously decadent. Roasted garlic is absolutely the easiest and least expensive way to add amazing flavor to anything, and here are three easy ways how to roast garlic.
Roasting garlic takes the bite from raw garlic and smooths it out; you're basically caramelizing the garlic cloves, which give them a deep, rich flavor. You can roast several heads of garlic at once and freeze what you don't eat right away, which lets you add that savory flavor to any dish in a flash. Roasted garlic is brilliant in mashed potatoes and in hummus or other dips, but trust me, all you really have to do with it is spread some on crusty french bread for the best treat ever.
How to Roast a Garlic Head in the Oven
There's nothing simpler to roast than whole heads of garlic. Start by removing the paper on the outside of the garlic and trimming the top off of the head of garlic. You're not looking to peel the garlic cloves, just get the loose outer layers. When you trim the top, take off about a 1/4 of an inch so that you can see the raw garlic and you have sort of a flat surface.
Set the head of garlic cut side up on a square of aluminum foil and drizzle one or two teaspoons of olive oil over the garlic head. Crumple the foil around the top of the head of garlic to make a loose ball and stick the whole thing in a 400 degree oven. Wait 45 minutes to an hour (though it's hard to over-roast garlic, so don't worry if the total time it stays in the oven is longer).
The garlic is done when a knife goes through a clove easily. For the record, your kitchen will start to smell amazing before that point. You'll want to let the garlic cool, then pinch the base of each garlic clove and push the roasted garlic up and out of the paper.
How To Oven Roast Individual Cloves
If you've ever bought one of those giant containers of peeled cloves of garlic at Costco and then thought "what now?" you need this method for roasted garlic. Simply spread the peeled cloves on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil over the garlic cloves and toss so that the individual cloves are coated.
Roast in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir the cloves once or twice during roasting. They're done when the roasted garlic cloves are golden brown and soft.
How To Make Roasted Garlic on the Stovetop
Technically, this garlic recipe isn't roasting so much as toasting, but it is a way to mellow out the garlic bite without risking burning the garlic if you don't have access to an oven. Separate a head of garlic into individual cloves and remove all the loose paper. Add them to a skillet or pan over medium heat; cook for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the cloves over a few times during the cooking process.
You can keep roasted garlic in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, and freeze it for up to three months.
