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Roasted Garlic Bulbs

Roasted Garlic Bulbs

From The Kitchen

Roasting turns sharp raw garlic into something sweet, mellow and soft enough to spread with a knife. I roast a few heads at once and keep them in the fridge — they melt into dressings, hummus and mashed potatoes, smooth onto warm bread, or go straight onto a board to squeeze and share.

Prep5 min
Roast40 min
Makes4 heads

Ingredients

  • 4 whole heads of garlic
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • A few sprigs of thyme or rosemary (optional)
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Slice about ¼ inch off the tops of the garlic heads to expose the cloves.
  3. Set them on a piece of parchment paper (not foil), drizzle generously with olive oil, season with salt, and tuck in the herbs. Fold the parchment loosely over the top, or cover a small parchment-lined dish.
  4. Roast 40 minutes, until the cloves are golden and completely soft when pressed.
  5. Let cool, then squeeze the cloves out of their skins — or set the whole heads on the board and let everyone squeeze their own.

Gina's tip

Parchment, not foil — I keep aluminum away from hot, oily food. Roast extra: the cloves keep about a week in the fridge (lovely stored under a little olive oil) and freeze beautifully. Stir them into a vinaigrette, hummus, or the roasted-garlic vinegar.

I hope this one finds a place in your kitchen as it has in mine. Enjoy!

— Gina