Roast Garlic Upside Down To Stop Foil From Clinging To The Cloves

The simple act of roasting a head of garlic transforms the strong biting flavor of each clove into a mellow, spreadable caramelized delicacy. The golden brown roasted garlic head looks beautiful and there's not much work involved. Most recipes recommend slicing the top off the garlic head, rubbing it with a little oil, wrapping it in foil, and popping it in the oven to roast. But when you unwrap that foil package, you'll often find some of the exposed garlic cloves sticking to the foil, which ruins the look.

Luckily, there's an alternate method that saves on the foil, looks great straight out of the oven, and is equally simple. You'll even get a little bonus roasted garlic oil for dipping your bread into! 

Simply slice off the top of the garlic head as always. Then, drizzle a bit of olive oil into a small ramekin and place the garlic cut side down inside. Splash a little more oil on the upside-down bottom of the garlic and roast as usual. There's no need to cover the ramekin. You can roast as many heads as you want at the same time — just use a roasting dish that holds them snugly.

When the cooking time is finished, carefully flip the garlic right side up. You can leave it in the ramekin and place it right on a snack board, or you can squeeze the cloves out of the papery head when it's cool enough to touch. Save the delicious oil left in the ramekin — it's not only a great bread dipping oil, but it's also perfect for spooning on top of ramen noodles or other soups to add richness or to flavor a vinaigrette.

As for the roasted garlic cloves, there are countless ways to make use of them. Spread the soft, mashed garlic onto crostini to serve with cheese or charcuterie, or make the most mouth-watering garlic bread ever by mixing it into a roasted garlic compound butter. Toss a bit of the flavorful paste with simple spaghetti and olive oil, or add it to your favorite pasta sauce to add rich umami flavor. You could even swirl a head of roasted garlic into your next pot of mashed potatoes for an elevated taste. Any way you serve it, you'll love this easy tip for getting a beautiful head of roasted garlic.