How to Roast Garlic – plus 25 delicious things to do with it!

~  Menu  ~

Roasted Garlic and Crumbled Blue Cheese on Toast

Red Wine

A few cherries

A week of so ago I bought a gorgeous fresh bulb of garlic with the intention of topping up my roasted garlic stock. 

There’s lovely, as the Cornish say.

For a few days I couldn’t bring myself to do anything with it except admire it but today as I had the oven on anyway (trying to keep warm!) I  decided to get on with it.  I’ve always loved the smell of garlic roasting and in my cheffing days a whiff of it would often attract in extra customers.

See the end of the post for 25 delicious ways to use roasted garlic.

How to Roast Garlic

~   Cut heads of garlic in half through their equators and stand cut sides up in a shall ovenproof dish.

~   Drizzle quite generously with olive oil, being sure to anoint the cut surfaces well, and season with salt and pepper. 

~ Cover tightly with foil and do in a medium oven till completely tender which takes about an hour or so depending on your idea of “medium oven”. I did mine in a fan oven at 160˚, it is ready when lightly golden and buttery soft.
~ Cool till you are able to handle it and then squeeze the soft garlic cloves into a clean jar adding any oil remaining in the dish too.
~ Pour in extra olive oil till to cover the garlic completely and utterly, put on the lid and store in the fridge for 4 or 5 days.

Two Ways to Freeze Roasted Garlic

1.   Freeze whole roasted garlic cloves by spreading on a baking tray, freezing then storing in a sealed plastic bag in the freezer.
2.   Mash the roasted garlic and divide between the sections in an ice cube tray. Once frozen pop out the cubes and also store  in a sealed plastic bag in the freezer.

25 Delicious Ways to Use Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic and/or its oil can be used to enhance so many dishes …  

~   mix into mashed potato

~   make a roasted garlic vinaigrette (here’s how to make vinaigrette plus lots of suggestions including roasted garlic)

~   Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Soup 

~   purée into tomato ketchup for a delicious change

~   brush or smear over pizza base before adding the topping

~   roasted garlic Pangrattato (posh word for crispy breadcrumbs - really useful) 

~   add to pasta sauces – for instance stir some in to lovely Alfredo Sauce 

~   rub roasted garlic under the skin of chicken before roasting.

~   Roasted Garlic Scones!   

~   make roasted garlic hummus or other bean dip (hummus and bean dip recipes and ideas here)

~   eat with blue or goats cheese with which it has an affinity

~   Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Polenta 

~   make roasted garlic butter (see here for how to make flavoured butters and how to use them) and then make …

~   roasted garlic bread

~   mix with mayonnaise – roasted garlic mayo is gorgeous!  See here for 38 ways to flavour mayonnaise. 

~   mix into the meat when making burgers 

~   Butternut Squash & Roasted Garlic Soup 

~   mix with sour cream to fill baked potatoes or as a dip

~   add to pesto

~   stir into gravy  and pan sauces (which, incidentally, are very easy!) 

Why not pin this image and try roasted garlic - it's gorgeous!