It’s almost magic, really. Take a bulb of spicy, pungent raw garlic, drizzle it with oil, put it in the oven for 30 minutes…and you’ve got an irresistible ingredient for hundreds of dishes. Besides being a natural flavor enhancer, garlic may contain natural antifungal, antiviral and antibiotic properties.

Although heating garlic affects some of its health benefits, roasting it at a lower temperature (about 250°-300°F) helps it retain some of its heart-smart and digestive nutrients.

After using our recipe for Best Roasted Garlic, try these easy roasted garlic dishes:

• Warm up a baguette, serve slices smeared with a clove of roasted garlic.
• Puree roasted garlic, boiled potatoes and olive oil in a food processor, and season to taste for smooth mashed potatoes.
• Roasted garlic compound butter sounds hard, but it’s not, and it’s delicious on bread, as a finish on broiled steak or on steamed broccoli. Cut one stick of butter into 8 pieces, soften for 20 minutes at room temperature. Add a tablespoon or so of mashed roasted garlic, and blend well with a fork. Wrap butter mound in waxed paper and roll up like a burrito. Refrigerate to harden.
• Make a roasted chicken and fontina melt: Spread roasted garlic on two slices of ciabatta bread. Mix pulled roasted chicken, finely chopped artichoke hearts and diced red pepper with 1 tablespoon plain yogurt or mayonnaise; season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on bread and top with shredded fontina cheese. Broil open-faced on high for 2 minutes or until golden.
• Amp up a can of cream of mushroom soup by adding ½ cup sautéed fresh mushrooms and 1 tablespoon roasted garlic and stir well. Top with fresh croutons and a sprinkle of chopped fresh Italian parsley.

Best Roasted Garlic