WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Perhaps no other vegetable is transformed by the roasting process quite as dramatically as garlic. Roasting turns it from intensely pungent and sharp to nutty, sweet, and spreadably soft with minimal work. For an easy, foolproof method, we simply trimmed off the top of each head of garlic, exposing the tops of the cloves, and drizzled them with olive oil. Sealed tightly into an aluminum foil packet, the cloves turned buttery soft in a 425-degree oven; opening up the packet for the last 20 minutes allowed the tops of the cloves to caramelize. The softened cloves are perfect for spreading onto bread; they also add rich flavor to simple condiments and sauces. This recipe can be adjusted for as many or as few garlic heads as you want.
Makes: about ½ cup
Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 large garlic heads
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut ½ inch off top of each garlic head to expose most of tops of garlic cloves. Place garlic heads, cut side up, in center of large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle each with ½ teaspoon oil, season with salt, and gather foil tightly around garlic to form packet.
- Place packet directly on oven rack and roast garlic for 45 minutes. Carefully open just top of foil to expose garlic and continue to roast until garlic is soft and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Remove garlic from oven and let cool for 20 minutes. When cool, squeeze garlic from skins into bowl. (Roasted garlic can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)
