Roasted Garlic

Submitted by CHEF GRPA

"After an hour or so in the oven, individual cloves of garlic become sweet, carmelized and infinately spread-able. I also like to keep a little container of it in my fridge to chop up & add to recipes. The roasted garlic adds a much more subtle, sweet flavor than just minced garlic."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 2mins
• Ingredients: 2
• Serves: 15

ingredients

• 10 medium head garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

directions

1. 1. Cut off the top, NOT the root end. Cut just enough to expose the individual cloves. Pour on some olive oil, loosely cover with foil OR just sit the bulbs on some foil. Shiny side inches Shiny side out reflects the heat. If the cloves are not soft and squishy, put them back in and roast longer.
2. 2. Preheat oven to 400*F. (and on a side note- 400* can be too much heat depending on your oven. i can get away with 350-375* usually. sometimes 400* will blacken it.).
3. 3. Arrange heads of garlic on a baking sheet. Sprinkle garlic with olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, when the garlic is soft and squeezable, it is ready. Remove, let cool, and serve.
4. TIP's: Some time I cut off the pointy tops and drizzled olive oil over the exposed garlic and added freshly ground cracked pepper. Then I placed them on a piece of foil and folded it around the garlic, making a "foil tent" so that the garlic is completely enclosed. I put them in a 350* oven for about an hour or until soft to the touch. I served mine with thinly sliced crusty french bread and goat cheese. (spread the garlic on the bread and then some goat cheese) ~ you and your guests will NOT be disappointed! Or Added black pepper and garlic salt * Added lots of olive oil, rolled cloves around in it * Baked in muffin tins cut side down at 350* for 50 minutes.
5. I actually do this a lot! I brush some oil on the exposed cut garlic and use kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. I do put it on top of a crumbled cup of foil to make sure any excess oil or stuff doesn't fall out. I normally roast this on 400* when I am making chicken for about 30-45 minutes. When they are squishy to the touch -- I SQUISH them out in a container and keep them separate and just add them to whatever I want. This last time I used a whole bulb and added it to 1/4 cup of a butter substitute and added a little salt put it on the steaks, the bread, and some mushrooms and onions. It was fantastic! :) (I put the butter in a zip lock bag, pushed it to the bottom and froze it.) use a cupcake sheet instead of a flat baking sheet. The cupcake holes are just the right size for garlic, and help keep it soaked in olive oil while baking. I did 40 mins in the cupcake tins, tip side up, with the foil cover to get them nice and roasted. Then I turn them tip side down in my non-stick cupcake tins to get them a little caramelized for another 15 minutes After they cool you can easily pull them out of the bulbs so your guests don't have to work for it.
6. Lots of ways to use roasted garlic, but my favorite way is to add it to my potatoes while I'm whipping them. I always get rave reviews for my whipped potatoes, and roasted garlic (along with some chives) is my secret ingredient.