Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic levels up basic bread and butter, and melts beautifully into pasta with parmesan… It transforms mayo into a rich aioli and adds a real umami base to fall soups and stews.
Here’s why you’ll appreciate knowing how to make roasted garlic.
Mainly it comes down to this: Roasting has a beautiful impact on garlic’s flavor.
Know how raw garlic is delicious but still pretty strong tasting? It’s bright, it’s intense, it’s confrontational. And while that has a place, most of the time garlic blends better into any dish when cooked.
By cooking garlic, the inherent sweetness comes forward and that sharp bite fades into the background. This is essential if what you’re preparing won’t give the garlic a chance to warm properly… If you’ve ever dropped some garlic into a dish you’re cooking and wondered why it overwhelmed the balance of flavors, this might be your answer.
So as a general rule of thumb: if the garlic has a chance to saute in the cooking process, adding minced raw garlic is great. If it will be mixed into something without being heated enough to allow that sweetness to come forward, use roasted garlic instead.
Tell me how it worked for you.
Did you notice the difference by adding a pinch of salt? It’s not necessary, but I just love to do it.
How did you use your roasted garlic? I’d love to swap ideas below!

Equipment
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- pinch of sea salt, like Maldon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C)
- If there is an excess of outer skins on the garlic, remove them. Using a sharp knife, slice through the top of the head of garlic to expose the inner cloves.
- Place the trimmed head of garlic into the ramekin.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic, ensuring the oil makes its way between the individual cloves. Sprinkle each with a bit of your best sea salt (my favorite is Maldon)
- Cover with aluminum foil and roast in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and carefully pull back the foil — steam will release. Allow the roasted garlic to cool slightly before handling.