The Fundamentals of Roasted Garlic
The fastest, easiest way to instantly elevate a dish is by adding a touch of roasted garlic. It only takes about an hour and I tend to roast several heads of garlic at once. That way, there's always roasted garlic in the refrigerator whenever the occasion arises. It has a milder and sweeter flavor profile than unroasted garlic. So, you can easily double the amount that you use in a recipe. This creates a greater depth of flavor, without adding that bitterness of unroasted garlic. Or having to worry about the effects on your breath!
Equipment
- Garlic Roaster (or Aluminum Foil)
- Oven
Ingredients
- head(s) garlic
- ~1 tsp. olive oil per head
Instructions
- I tend to roast 2 or 3 heads of garlic at once. You can roast as few or as many as you want at a time. It won't affect cooking time in any significant way!
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Peel some of the excess skin off of the head(s) of garlic.You want there to still be a peel around each clove, so don't be too vigorous here. But remove any excess that easily comes off. When you roast the garlic, the skin will get covered in oil and sticky. So, it just helps to have less of it to deal with!
- Cut the tops off of the garlic.Cut as little off as you can. The garlic won't roast if it isn't exposed to oil, but you also don't want to waste it! So, cut just below the tops of the cloves.
- Place face-up in a garlic roaster or center of enough aluminum foil to cover completely.
- Drizzle with olive oil to coat. This isn't an exact amount, just make sure that it's touching every clove.
- Place the lid on the roaster or wrap with foil.
- Cook in the oven for 45-60 minutes, or until soft and golden brown.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
- Don't you need to add salt? No! Put down the salt shaker!! Salt will draw out the water and cause the garlic to burn. Burned garlic is bitter and acrid, or irritatingly strong. Which defeats the purpose of roasting it in the first place. You're caramelizing, not scorching.
- This is means that you shouldn't try to roast garlic quickly. It does take about an hour and is worth every moment in the oven. If anything, it can help to turn down the heat and cook for longer.
- There are a variety of cooking methods that also work for roasting garlic. You can apply the same method to a BBQ or smoker. Just don't put the garlic directly over an open heat source or it may cook too quickly. I'll turn on one of the side burners and then place the garlic over one of the other burners that is off.