Roasted garlic

Ingredients

Garlic bulb
Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of the top of the cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Place the garlic heads in a baking pan. (Muffin pans work well for this purpose). Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small knife and cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins. Mash roasted garlic with a fork and add to cooked mashed potatoes. The roasted garlic can also be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes or mixed with Parmesan and pasta.