Roasted Garlic

Yum, it surely tastes good. and what a lovely way to eat it. i remember my aunt feeding my cousin this during her pregnancy. supposed to be good for digestion and helps relieve flatulance..... isnt it wonderful.
S

Yeah, this is a real winner. A favorite of mine is to make a nice fresh pizza dough, stretch out personal size crusts, then bake. After baking, spread fresh roasted garlic on, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, crack a little fresh ground pepper, and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil. A delightful appetizer or late night snack in front of a movie. Yum!

We do this for Christmas dinner every year. We usually make about 4 cloaves and all of it always dissappears! You wouldn't want to eat with us if you don't like garlic. I love it mashed on bread.

I love this stuff spread on a slice of crusty bread and it makes a great hors deurve (sp).

One question. I bought a huge jar of pre-peeled garlic this weekend at my local Asian supermarket. Do you think it would work if I put just the pre-peeled cloves, some EVOO and salt in tinfoil sans the original skin?

cvh-

Yes, you can eat roasted garlic whole, straight from the clove and it doesn't affect your breath the way raw garlic does. Once the roasting carmelizes and softens the cloves, they become much milder and take on a sweet, almost buttery nutty flavor.

If you've never tried this, EVEN IF YOU HATE GARLIC, get in the kitchen and do it today! This is not like any garlic you've ever had.

-Steve

Bistro 110 in Chicago has been doing this for ages. They serve a crock of butter, a head or two of roasted garlic, and a half loaf of bread.

And THEN you have to order something on top of that. Oof.

A couple of points for peoples questions...

Eating roasted garlic is enourmously different than raw. When cooked many of the complex compounds that give garlic it's pungency actually breakdown into compounds that are sweeter than cane sugar.

Roasting naked cloves does not work as well. The outsides become tougher and don't yield quite the same effect. I tried it to add to twice baked potatos but it tended to shred instead of the creamy consistancy from roasting in the skins which is a lot like roasting in paper.

I roast garlic this way all the time, and it is great! It is not an overpowering garlic taste as one might imagine, and it is wonderful on crackers, or as an additive to sauces or dips...etc. I like it on a fresh French Stick. Oh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Great post!

I love adding roasted garlic to mashed potatoes and using it as a pizza topping.

Delicious!

One of my favorite variations on roast garlic is to put peeled cloves (lots of them!) in a small ovenproof dish, cover w/ EVOO and slow roast them in a toaster oven until golden. If you then chill the whole thing down in the fridge, the oil firms up and you can mash the garlic w/ fork. Add a little salt and the spead is great on everything, lasts well and makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches (use it instead of the butter and keep the heat low).

All I want to know is where you got the garlic in those pictures. Talk about perfect! I always seem to end up with garlic that has started to sprout, or all the inner cloves are teeny-tiny. Those are perfect heads of garlic!

I'm not so sure about the relieving flatulance thing, clearly you've never been around my husband after eating garlic. Regardless, this is a must have, especially when it's warm and spread over fresh bread. My mom and I are garlic addicts and when we first learned how to roast garlic we were sold. Yum!!

Roasted garlic = one of my all time favorite things. I just gave this post a shout out. Love it! [Spectacular photography!]

This recipe is so simple and delicious, Thanks! My whole family loves it and I've been making it at least twice a week!

try with french bread and goat cheese, had this at Doc Holiday's in Taos. Can't stop eating it!

Does Elephant garlic tend to roast the same way? I'm sure the flavor is even milder. And what about small onions? (small enough to fit in the muffin tin) Can they be roasted in the same fashion with similar results?

We have done this for years! Over a good bread or crackers and warm Brie cheese! Oh, I eat a whole head myself!

My friend has a secret recipe he will not share, but it seems pretty simple. It is whole garlic cloves and whole green chili's in olive oil. You serve with fresh bread and the spread the garlic right on it, and then put the chili's and eat like a sandwich, it is incredible! Do you think the garlic needs to be roasted, or is it just left in the oil for a couple of days?

What an incredibly simple, yet delicious recipe!!

I kind of roared when I read an earlier post (has this really been actively posted for over a year now?!) that suggested the garlic must do something horrible to your breath. Just as I thought when I was first introduced to roasted garlic. Yet nothing could be further from the truth or...more delicious!!!

Cheers,

David-Proof that it's never too late to learn how to cook!

Exactly the type of recipe I was looking for... and it sound delicious! Bought 4 heads of garlic the other day to try this with - and share!

Could butter or margerine be used instead of EVOO? Cooking oils tend to make me a tad ill after consumption.

Wendy,
to toast Garlic, just heat a pan, add EVOO and saute until slightly brown. Don't over heat or let it burn otherwise it will get bitter.

Enjoy ;o)

I love this recipe too. I've added it into bread when I bake it, and it is delicious. When I roast it though, the sides of the cloves always come out dark brown. Is there a way to prevent this? Thank you!

Roasted garlic is a favorite in our home also. I would like to share another tip: when cooking Pork tenderloin or roast, make small slits in un-cooked meet...insert roasted cloves, season and cook meat in usual manner. Excellent!

Thank you so much for posting such a detailed procedure, complete with pictures. I roast garlic all the time the same way as you but I use ramekins or pyrex cups instead of a big muffin tin.

Last night I made lasagna for my hubby and my parents and served roasted garlic with the bread. They were flipping out and wanted to know how to do it. I was getting ready to email them directions when I decided to Google it. I found your directions (and another set that put WATER under the garlic - blasphemy!!) ... so I'm sending my parents your site. Thank you so much!!! Karin

Roasted garlic is indeed delicious, but it doesn't need to be covered in aluminum foil, because then you're steaming garlic. A head of garlic, top sliced off and drizzled with olive oil, can easily withstand 400 degrees without a foil covering. And that's how you roast things.

I like to roast a head of garlic before I go on a hike. I will keep them in a plastic sandwich bag in my pocket and then I will pretend to rummage around in the grass and pull one of the cloves that I have hidden in my hand and say, look I just found a big grub and hold it up for then to look at and then eat it and it grosses out anyone around.
Try it, it is so much fun to see their expressions.

Note from Elise: Hah! Just the sort of trick I'd play on my nephews. ;-)

This is wonderful. I use it instead of butter or margarine on a piece of crusty bread. Yum! I love garlic anyway, but I agree that this is a completely different flavour experience, and if anyone is afraid of the garlicky smell and taste, they need to actually try this, as it's difficult to explain how different it is. If you've ever eaten boiled garlic, (God help you, my mom used to just plunk a whole clove in the soup when I was little, and it's terrible) you might think this is the same, but it's not at all. You just have to try it to believe it. Thanks for the post.

Thank you! I've wondered how to do this for a while, having had it served to me in restaurants, and I should have just tried it. So simple! We had this last night on crusty bread.

What a wonderful blog! The pictures are fabulous!

Yum roasted garlic I love the smell! I made a roasted tomato soup last week and in place of onions I used roasted garlic and it was out of this world!

Yeah or simmer with milk on stovetop and use for mashed potatoes YUMMY

I've come up with a trick for this recipe that cuts down on the prep a bit. Rather than wrapping each head in foil, spoon a couple of tablespoons of oil into each muffin cup for however many you're roasting (i.e. 6 heads of garlic, couple of tablespoons of oil in 6 cups). Then cut the tops off and remove the extra skin (as in the original recipe). Then take each head of garlic and dip them top down in a muffin cup with oil. Then turn them all over. This guarantees that everything is properly oiled. Then cover the top of the whole muffin tin in foil and bake (as in the original recipe).

Nothing sticks due to the oil and it's slightly less tedious than wrapping each head in foil. I also find it easier to pour all the oil off and use it on whatever I'm cooking for the next few days.

This recipe is super convenient. I pick up between six and a dozen heads of garlic every other week or so and pop them straight in the over. Even though I'm a garlic addict (the mantra in our household is "there is no such thing as too much garlic!"), I very rarely use fresh garlic anymore. The roasted garlic has better flavor and in recipes which call for a stronger flavor I just throw in more cloves of roasted (which may even have extra health benefits since garlic is toted as one of the "new trends" in healthy cooking because roasted garlic is easier on the digestive tract plus you can eat way more of it).

Thanks for the tip, Stephanie! ~Elise

Garlic should rest for 10 minutes after cutting before you do any cooking, to allow those good anti-oxidants to form.

This has gotta be one of the most wonderful things in the world to eat. It gets so soft and creamy and sweet and nutty; just squeeze it right out of the skin onto some good bread. Tastes amazing, and you'll never get another head cold!

When you grow your own garlic heads, which is really easy to do, you will ALWAYS have a good supply for roasting, which cuts down on the expense...Garlic is expensive in Texas.

This is a great recipe, however, when I make it I tend to leave the garlic uncovered while roasting. Realistically, this recipe you have given is not roasted garlic - it's steamed garlic. The tin foil creates a chamber for it to steam, as opposed to roasting.

Does anyone know how to roast garlic directly on gas grill? Too hot in S. Texas to turn oven on!

This was great.Everyone wanted to know what I was cooking!! We sprinkled some salt over the olive oil and it tasted great...Thanks great recipe!!!

I followed this recipe tonight to roast garlic for some garlic mashed potatoes. The garlic (and the potatoes) turned out great!

This is certainly the easiest way to make roast garlic. The first time I tried it in an Australian Restaurant in HongKong, they served it with the side bread, I was so impressed that time and made it myself at home and it's wonderful.

Roasted elephant garlic preferalby very mushy. With a slight small spread of goat cheese (Never thought I would eat that cheese, still wont eat it plain) on top small pieces of toasted bread or warmed pre done bread slices. WOW! That's what everyone in California was eating. Takes me back every time I make it. 30 in Jersey

This is also a great treat to make when camping. I peel the head, but don't cut the top off- will have to try that!- and wrap it in foil. Place it in the campfire, nestled in the glowing coals near the edge. Obviously, use tongs to remove the head from the fire. And voilà! Squeeze those babies out of the skins and eat them straight, or spread on bread, or....! Just divine!

This is great mashed with a fork on toasted french bread with a drizzle of olive oil and crumbled goat's cheese on top! I make it whenever I feel like snacking!

Thanks for the instructions! I LOVE roasted garlic. My favorite is a sliced baguette with roasted garlic, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and some feta. Amazing!!

Yes yes, roasted garlic is really fabulous. I finally made it myself for the first time yesterday, and I took some of the cloves and threw them in the chicken stock that I was using to cook some rice. WOWWW. so good.

How long can this be kept in the fridge?

A few days I would imagine. ~Elise

Any hints on the best way to store it? I roasted 3 heads for future use and used a clean jar and poured the oil in to cover the cloves. When cooled put in the fridge.

If you do want to steam instead of roast adding some aromatics such as rosemary will add quite a oomph to the garlic. Great stuffed in pork chops.

SO yummy! I mixed this in with some butter, dried basil & garlic seasoning to make a spread. Put some on fresh baguette, tossed it in the oven. Served it with coconut curry crab. It was so delicious. I may even just spread the roasted garlic over the bread next time instead of mixing it in with butter.

We roast a couple of heads of garlic - let them cool, then mash them up real well. Then we take hamburger (1/2 lb) and make 2 patties. We smear the roasted garlic spread on top of the first pattie, then put the 2nd pattie on top of the first. We then seal the edges together, encasing the roasted garlic between the two. Then we grill the burger like you would any other burger - but the taste is fantastic!

Tip: I like to freeze the heads in a little ziplock so they are handy when I need them.

FOR ALL YOU GARLIC LOVERS: Roast 10-20 (or more) heads at a time, squeeze out all the goodness and freeze in dollups on a cookie sheet. Then put in a plastic bag and store in the freezer. Add to recipes as needed or thaw in microwave and enjoy!

I love roasted garlic. Thanks for posting.

You can be even lazier, like me. One doesn't need to cut off the tops of the garlic heads to expose the cloves. I roast whole heads in a covered dish with a little oil, water, and salt. Mark Bittman suggests this method in How to Cook Everything. 375F for 1 hour. Baste after 30 minutes. No knives needed; no garlic wasted.

I came here to find out how long roasted garlic keeps, as I usually only do a couple at a time. But after I read the recipe I found I do it differently, must be a guy thing. I cut off the root end and set the bulb in a tablespoon of EVOO roast in a toaster oven. When done I just squeeze the top and all the cloves come out at once. Seems easier to me and has the same result. Now I have lucked into a big bunch garlic but I don't know how long they'll keep after roasting.