Roasted Garlic

I love garlic. Ever since we discovered jarred garlic (minced and packed in oil), we put in pretty much everything. Making veggies? Add some garlic. An omelette? Add garlic. Risotto? Where's the garlic? 


Lately I've been cooking with fresh garlic and it is significantly better than the jarred garlic (which, after awhile, seemed kind of gelatinous in my fridge). With this new discovery, I've been looking for more ways to enjoy garlic and roasting it was just the thing.


Roasted garlic is very different than fresh garlic. It's mild and flavourful and you can eat it plain. I probably ate three heads of garlic when it came out of the oven -- it was just that good. And simple!! It's super easy to make and very impressive.


How can you use roasted garlic, you ask?

• on garlic bread
• in mashed potatoes
• in mayonnaise 
• with goat cheese as a spread

Ingredients

• garlic heads (do five or six at a time, trust me)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Peel away the excess skin on the garlic, but leave the skin on the cloves in tact.
• With a sharp knife, cut off the pointy end of the garlic so the tips of all the cloves are exposed.
• Place garlic heads on tin foil and drizzle with olive oil (don't be shy on the olive oil) and use your fingers to make sure all cloves are well coated. Season with salt and pepper.
• Create a package with the tin foil and put in over for 45 minutes or until garlic is soft when pressed.
• Let garlic cool and then either peel away skin with a fork or turn upside and squeeze out garlic into a bowl.
• Enjoy as is, or combine with your favourite recipe for a fresh new flavour.

** Tip: An easy way to freeze roasted garlic is in individual ice cube trays. Mash cloves first and then spoon into trays and freeze.

Three Cheese and Garlic Scalloped Potatoes

Do you like cheesy, garlicky, creamy, heavenly carbohydrates like I do?

If so, these three cheese and garlic scalloped potatoes are for you! I served these with ham at Easter and they were the perfect side dish.

Ingredients (this made enough to fill my lasagna pan)

• about 10 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 cups of old cheddar cheese
• 6 slices of provolone
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 cups of cream (I used 2/3 10% cream mixed with 1/3 skim milk)
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped (I used jarred garlic and used one heaping tablespoon -- mmm...garlic)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Grease a casserole dish (note that I used a lasagna pan, so adjust the recipe accordingly for your size of container)

Layer 1/3 of the potatoes slices at the bottom of the dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes. Drop garlic over the layer. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheddar cheese over the layer and then add salt and pepper.

Repeat two more times (three layers in total)

On top, place the sliced provolone.

Cover with tinfoil and bake for an hour.

Then sprinkle parmesan cheese over top and bake for another 30 minutes until cheese is bubbled and brown and it's easy to stick a knife through the potatoes.

When you take these out, you may want to use a paper towel to seep up some of the oil from the cheese.

I forgot to take a final picture, but trust me, they were oozing with deliciousness!!! And the whole pan was eaten by only 10 people! That's the sign of a good side.