Kitchen Basics: How to Roast Garlic

This is a quick post about a basic roasting method everyone ought to know. It relates to a great recipe I am posting next Tuesday and I thought everyone might want a little refresher. I use roasted garlic in lots of dishes. It lends terrific flavor to soups, salad dressings, and sauces. It also makes the best kind of garlic bread when you squeeze it onto a piece of toast and sprinkle a little cheese on top. Next week I am going to use it in a new favorite way – in salad!

To roast garlic you simply do the following:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Slice off the top of a garlic bulb so the tops of all the cloves are exposed. Peel away the outer layers of skin as seen above.

Place the garlic on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Douse the garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Make sure it is coated all around. Wrap up the aluminum foil in tight packets so no oil can escape.

Bake it for 30 minutes, or until the intoxicating smell of roast garlic completely envelopes your kitchen. Remove the garlic and carefully unwrap the packet. Allow to cool completely before using.