Roasted garlic is not only one of the easiest ways to cook garlic — you can prepare it and pop it in the oven in less than 5 minutes — but the rich, buttery taste is a perfect way to ease into the world of gourmet garlic.
It takes zero culinary skills or expertise to learn how to roast garlic. Seriously. All you really need is some garlic, aluminum foil, and an oven and you’ll be making roasted garlic just as good as you might find at The Stinking Rose.
You can spread roasted garlic on bread and crackers, mix it into mashed potatoes, or add it to a pasta dish.
The garlic roasting process also takes some of the bite and heat out of many garlic varieties, creating a smooth, mellow flavor that pairs well with just about any food on the planet.
It’s not necessary but a cast iron garlic roaster is a great way to roast garlic and it can be used on the grill as well as in the oven.
How to Roast Garlic
Drizzle the exposed garlic cloves with olive oil and add a little salt and pepper if you like. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees while you’re preparing your garlic. Rub the oil in thoroughly with your fingers or a brush to make sure the clove ends are well coated.
Try to place your garlic heads so that the ends you drizzled in olive oil are facing up when you put them in the oven. This isn’t critical but is easy enough to do and helps them cook a little more evenly.