Roasting Garlic...

Growing garlic is something I have long wanted to do, but have yet to attempt. I put garlic in almost everything I cook, which means it is a crop that I need to be growing.

I absolutely LOVE the smell of fresh-roasted garlic cloves, so today I brought out my trusty clay garlic roaster and put it to good use.

I bought this lovely thing at a local thrift store a few years ago for a whopping $2.00.

Roasting garlic in a clay roaster is super easy...

1)  Submerge the base and lid of the clay roaster in water for 15 to 20 minutes before use.

2)  Trim the tops off of the garlic heads to expose the tips. (Leave the peel on the garlic.)

3)  Place the garlic heads into the roaster and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

4)  Set the lid on top of the roaster and place in a COLD oven.

5)  Set the oven to 350 F and leave the roaster in the oven for an hour to an hour and a half, until the heads feel soft and smell fragrant.

You can use this roasted garlic in just about anything you cook. Just break off a clove or two and squeeze the roasted garlic out of the peel. Store any unused garlic in a air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Remember to use nothing but boiling water to clean the clay roaster, as it will soak up any chemical cleaning agents you might use.

Here's the finished product...

I can almost smell the garlic just by looking at this picture!

Do you make your own roasted garlic? Do you have a different method of doing it?