The Gourmet Mama

Although raw garlic can be very pungent in flavor and be difficult to eat much of it at a time, roasted garlic has a delicious nutty flavor that is almost sweet. It’s positively delicious with crackers and cheese, or used in recipes to enhance the flavor without being overpowering. The best part about roasted garlic is that it is easy to make but makes it seem as if you are a gourmet chef.

To roast garlic, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove as much of the paper from 2 whole heads of garlic as you can without breaking it apart and place in ¼ cup water in a small baking dish.

Drizzle with olive oil and cover with aluminum foil and put it in the oven. After about 30 minutes, baste them with the olive oil and water and bake for another 30 minutes until the garlic is soft.

The entire process is much easier if you use a garlic roaster, which is made of clay. You just soak it in water, pop the head of garlic inside and roast it in the oven, no water needed.

Instead of peeling, just squeeze the cloves out of the peel. Roasted garlic can be refrigerated for up to three days if you keep it in a sealed container. Roasted garlic can be used as a spread on bread, or to add a rich flavor to soups and stews, or rub it over raw chicken, then cook as usual. It can be added to nearly any savory recipe and will soon become a staple in your house.

photo by jspatchwork