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Joanna Gaines' Roasted Garlic Bulbs

Roasted Garlic Bulbs

byJoanna Gaines
Total 1 hour and 25 minutes
Active 15 mins
Makes 8 to 10 servings
“It had been a long day of travel for work when I checked into my hotel late one night, only to realize that I hadn't eaten dinner. I called a few people on our team to see if anyone wanted to walk down with me to the hotel restaurant. At our server's recommendation, we ordered a plate of roasted garlic bulbs for a starter. I had no idea that garlic, when roasted, would spread like butter on toasted bread. It was everything I never knew I wanted, and when it came time to develop recipes for this book, I thought there was a good chance you might feel the same.” – Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Table, Volume 2
Ingredients
  • 8 large garlic heads (elephant garlic, if possible)
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 slices
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • Torn or sliced baguette or sourdough bread, for serving
    Directions
    1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
    2. Using a large sharp knife, cut the top ¼ inch of the garlic heads off to expose the cloves, leaving the whole heads intact.
    3. Place the garlic heads cut sides up, touching one another, in a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and top each with a slice of butter. Sprinkle the thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper on top.
    4. Cover the skillet tightly with foil to keep in the moisture. Transfer to the oven and roast until the garlic is very soft, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and carefully open the foil to avoid the steam. If using the Parmesan, sprinkle it over the garlic.
    5. Return to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the tops begin to brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
    6. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. You can serve the heads of garlic in the skillet or transfer them to a warmed serving platter and pour any pan juices over them.
    7. Spread the warm garlic onto torn or sliced bread.