Why You Should Roast Garlic in Bulk -Recipe Included

Roasted garlic is phenomenal. But it makes your space smell like, well, roasting garlic.

In short, you should roast garlic by the pound because it means you need to do a stinky chore only once in a while while still reaping the rewards of having done the job. It also saves time and energy when it comes to preparing individual meals that call for roasted garlic. Another perk is that if you're hosting guests, you, and not your garlic, can greet them at the door.

More reasons why you should roast garlic in bulk:

• It freezes GREAT and thaws quickly. So, in the future, when recipes call for roasted garlic, you can just pull some out of the freezer. 
• Having pre-roasted garlic on hand, rather than just a few individual cloves, you have the freedom to increase the recipe to taste. 
• It makes meal prep, especially for parties, easier.
• Reduces the number of times your house has to smell like roasted garlic

Why I love it!

• Simple ingredients - Garlic and ghee (or olive oil). That's it. 
• Simple to make - "Easy recipe" is an understatement. It's just the ingredients, covered with aluminum foil and cooked. 
• High-quality results  -  Roasting garlic turns the spicy, raw garlic into a sweeter, more mellow flavor that is incredibly easy to spread. 
• Great return on investment - You only need to fill your house with the pungent aroma of garlic smell once, but you reap the delicious rewards for a long time. It can also be used in a variety of dishes.

This is Good for a Group because...

The biggest reason this recipe is "good for a group" is because it's delicious. After that, it's a major allergen-free food! It's gluten-free; if you make it with olive oil instead of ghee, it's also dairy-free and vegan.

While you would never serve your guests just roasted garlic, having roasted garlic on hand can make whipping up an appetizer pretty easy.

Why I recommend ghee rather than olive oil:

Because if you're using high-quality olive oil, the heat can change the taste considerably.

Additionally, while this is not a recipe for making garlic-infused ghee, it can easily become a two-for-one type recipe - garlic confit and garlic-infused ghee.

How? If you increase the amount of ghee to 1-2 cups so all the garlic will be submerged while cooking, the garlic will technically be cooked confit style. (More on that in the FAQ section below.) While the garlic is slowly transforming in the fat and heat, the ghee will become infused with the same delicious, rich garlic flavor. Once the garlic is cooked, strain off the ghee and store the ghee and garlic separately in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer.

Ingredient Notes

• Garlic - You need a lot of garlic - a pound, to be specific. If you want to peel each individual garlic clove, go for it. But I recommend buying pre-peeled garlic. My go-to supplier of American-grown, pre-peeled garlic is Trader Joe's. Costco and most international grocery stores also have pre-peeled garlic. 
• Ghee - I like ghee because I regularly make it, and it does well under high temperatures.  If you want to make your own ghee, I recommend the method from Serious Eats: Serious Eats Clarified Butter Recipe. Olive oil works, too; but if you're using high-quality olive oil, the heat can change the taste considerably.
• OPTIONAL - Kosher Salt - just a small amount can bring out the rich, nutty, and sweet caramelized flavors of both the garlic and the ghee. I prefer to add this at the end.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

In short, add garlic and ghee into an oven-proof dish, cover tightly with foil, and roast it, checking occasionally until it is golden brown.

Below, you'll see how it will look at each stage of cooking and how to tell when it's done.

NOTE: I lined a glass pie pan with foil, but it's not necessary for success.

Why do I do it? I hate clean-up.

Raw, peeled garlic.

Raw garlic after it's been tossed in ghee. Each garlic clove will look fussy - that's how you know the ghee is coating it.

After about one hour, they will start to brown. You can absolutely stop here if it's soft enough for your preference.

This is the color you're looking for. Each individual garlic clove should be totally soft with some brown spots.

Hint: Be cautious when lifting off the foil when you go to check on the garlic. Steam can burn! Use tongs to lift up the back corner of the foil so the steam escapes out the back rather than towards you and your face.

Additions to Roasted Garlic

• Additions - you can add some fresh herbs on the stem, such as rosemary or thyme. However, keep in mind that if will make ALL the garlic have that flavor, and you cannot undo this! So skip it if you need a more pure garlic flavor later.

Storage / Reheating

In order to prevent it from going bad, you also need to store it correctly.

Generally, freeze it. Once cooked and cooled to room temperature, it can go into a variety of freezer-safe containers. I freeze it in a thin, flat layer in a ziplock bag, which allows me to break off what I need as I need it. Likewise, some garlic lovers prefer to freeze the slow-roasted garlic in an ice cube tray. If you want to freeze it in "whole heads of garlic" portions, I recommend filling a standard muffin tin halfway full; this will equal roughly what one head of garlic would yield once roasted. Related, I have friends who store theirs in a small jar in the fridge because she goes through it so fast.

Safety note: DO NOT store roasted garlic or garlic-infused ghee at room temperature for longer than 12 hours. You run the risk of creating an environment that's perfect for botulism to grow.

So, stay safe, and keep things cool until you're ready to use the garlic.

Equipment

Ceramic or glass are ideal ovenwear to use for roasting garlic in bulk. The thicker material that doesn't conduct heat as well will prevent the bottom of the garlic from burning. If you only have a cookie sheet or metal pan, I recommend checking on the garlic 20-30 minutes while it's roasting and stirring it occasionally to help brown everything evenly.

FAQ's