Fresh Roasted Garlic

What a difference this can make.  Just by roasting your garlic instead of sauteing it, you add so much more flavor and depth.  I think that it actually alters the garlic and brings out a natural sweetness that is otherwise unexposed.  And you can do so much with it.  I love to add it into my red sauces for pasta , smeared across a grilled steak or in with a roast in the slow-cooker.  You can even use it as a dip for crackers or veggies just by mixing it in with a little mayonnaise and sour cream.  It really is a flavor explosion.

1 whole tightly closed head of garlic
a little bit of extra virgin olive oil

-Preheat oven to 425*.  Slice about 1/4 - 1/2" off the top (pointed end)  of the garlic head.  This will slightly expose each individual clove.  Then, peel off the loose papery shell (you still want the head intact as a whole).  Place a decent sized square of aluminum foil into one of the cups of a muffin pan.  Place the garlic head in the foil lined cup with the cut-side facing up.  Drizzle the top with a little bit of e.v.o. and fold the extra foil inward loosely creating a tent (will keep it from burning).  Roast in the oven for 25-35 minutes.  It is ready once it feels soft and mushy when squeezed.  Enjoy!http://www.youtube.com/user/JustCookingAway?feature=mhum