Description
Garlic lover or not, everyone will love this buttery, spreadable garlic confit! The low-and-slow cooking process completely mellows out the flavor, transforming raw garlic cloves from sharp and pungent to soft, sweet and caramelized. Add them to essentially any dish for some extra gourmet flavor!
Ingredients
- 3 large heads of garlic (~38 large cloves)
- 1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil (or more as needed to fully submerge the garlic - see instructions)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- Optional: sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary or red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Separate the garlic cloves from the bulb and peel them. Place the peeled cloves in one even layer in a small dish (14.5 ounce capacity is ideal for 3 heads of garlic).
- Add the olive oil and salt. Use enough olive oil to fully submerge the garlic so it does not burn.
- Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the garlic has become golden brown and soft. You can test for doneness by removing one clove - it should easily mash using the back of a fork or spoon.
- Serve immediately or store (submerged in the olive oil) in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
The size of the dish matters. Finding the right size will save you some olive oil as the cloves need to be fully submerged (see the next tip). In the photos above the dish I used is here which comfortably holds 3 heads of garlic (38 cloves of garlic). If only cooking a little bit of garlic, use a smaller oven-safe dish like a ramekin. If cooking a lot of garlic, use a casserole dish.
Save the olive oil! Your olive oil will come out tasting better than where it started, thanks to the infusion of flavor from the garlic. I love drizzling the oil as a garnish over dips or enjoying with crispy socca. And my husband absolutely loves it for dipping crusty bread to sop it all up!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French