Midnight Snack: Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic is one of those recipes I see on a restaurant menu and think, man, that sounds great, but I should probably just make it at home. After all, it's just garlic roasted in the oven. Unfortunately, I'll tell myself this, and then, almost every time, I promptly forget to actually make it. I mean, I love roasted garlic, but I've probably only made it 2-3 times in the last year, which is probably why all those vampires keep friending me on Facebook. But that's all going to change with this post. Hopefully!

Roasted garlic is perfect for this Midnight Snack series of posts--although it's going to take a little while to get done in the oven, the process really is hassle-free and the results are delicious and versatile. For today's post, I used this recipe from Epicurious. So, let's get started.



You're going to need a head of garlic, and one small ramekin. First, preheat the oven to 350º.





Chop about a quarter-inch off the top of your garlic, so all the cloves are showing.



Use any flavorful olive oil or olive oil variation you like for this recipe. This Garlic with Rosemary Oil from the Bittersweet Herb Farm in Shelburne Falls, MA, might sound a little redundant, but it has a much stronger rosemary flavor than a garlic one, so it actually worked really well with the roasted garlic.



I usually use Kosher Salt in lieu of table salt because its larger granules allow you to season more liberally and with less concern of a dish becoming too salty.



Add everything back to your ramekin--about a tbsp of oil per head of garlic is good--and make sure the head of garlic gets coated well with the other ingredients. Then, firmly cover the ramekin with aluminum foil, toss it in the oven, and set the timer for 50 minutes. It might take 55, but better to check early in case it's done.



When the cloves are soft and can be easily mashed, they're ready. Oh, by the way, this is plenty of roasted garlic for a midnight snack for two people, or maybe three people who only want a very small snack. Or, you know, for ten people who want a single garlic clove as a late night amuse-bouche. Those people are probably vampire hunters, so be careful, please.





For my snack, I just cut up a small slice of sourdough into toast points and grilled them on the indoor stovetop grill. There's only one clove pictured, but two actually ended up being the right amount for this bread. The grilled bread went really nicely with the roasted garlic. Oh, and if you don't have a whole hour to kill for the garlic to roast, you can always remove whole cloves from the head and roast those, in the same fashion as, on a baking sheet. They'll get done more quickly that way, but the flavor won't be as full.



Thanks for stopping by Beach City Cooking, and I'll see you all tomorrow for another post. Have a great night, and stay cool!