In honor of April, National Garlic Month, I thought I would share a delightfully simple recipe for one of my favorite snacks: roasted garlic.
Personally, I’m a garlic fiend. I automatically double the garlic in recipes. It’s spicy, raw bite is perfect in salad dressings. And if I’m being honest, I may love garlic knots more than pizza. I’m pretty serious about garlic.
One of my favorite ways to eat garlic, and probably the easiest, is to roast whole heads in the oven. It creates a beautifully smooth, mild garlic spread that goes perfectly with a freshly baked loaf of bread. The ingredients are simple. All you need is some olive oil, salt, and pepper and you have a spreadable, vampire-repelling feast.
Roasting garlic mellows its spiciness. Don’t expect the peppery heat of a raw clove, or even the mild kick of sautéed garlic. Roasted garlic’s flavor is deep and rich. You’ll start out with a small spoonful on your toast just to be sure, but after one taste you’re heading back for a larger schmear.
Roasted garlic with toast tips is a great appetizer. It tastes extravagant, but requires you to do very little. The garlic does all the work. Give it a try the next time you’re feeling fancy, but on the lazy side—pretty much me cooking dinner on any given Wednesday.
Roasted Garlic
INGREDIENTS
2 heads garlic, unpeeled
Olive oil
Freshly ground salt and black pepper
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 375.
Cut off top 1/2″ or so of garlic. This is the portion opposite the root end. You’ll want the tops of most of the central cloves of garlic to be exposed. It’s OK if a few cloves on the outer edges are still intact.
Drizzle generously with olive oil. Make sure some oil seeps between the cloves.
Sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper.
Bake for about one hour—the top of the garlic heads should be golden brown and the cloves may be starting to pop out of their skin.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool until you’re able to handle.
Squeeze each clove of garlic out of its paper wrapping into a small serving bowl. Add a little more olive oil and stir with a fork until well combined.
Serve with warm, toasty, crusty, buttery Italian bread.
What’s your favorite easy-to-make party food? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @LitDarling!
