Roasted garlic in the oven

Ingredients:

1 or more heads of garlic
olive oil

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 400°F. Set a rack in the middle position.
Peel away all the loose, papery, outer layers around the head of garlic. Leave the head itself intact with all the cloves connected.
Trim about 0,5cm off the top of the head of garlic to expose the tops of the garlic cloves.
Drizzle 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the exposed surface of the garlic, letting the oil sink down into the cloves.
Wrap the garlic in aluminum foil and roast in the oven for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, begin checking the garlic. The garlic is done when a center clove is completely soft when pierced with a paring knife. Even once soft, you can continue roasting until deeply golden for a more caramelized flavor — check the garlic every 10 minutes. Exact roasting time will depend on the size of your garlic, the variety, and its age.
Let the garlic cool slightly, and then serve. Press on the bottom of a clove to push it out of its paper. Roasted garlic can also be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.

Tips:

To speed the roasting time, separate the head of garlic into individual cloves, although it won't look as nice as the whole head of cloves. Leave the cloves intact and covered with their paper skin, toss with olive oil, and roast in a foil packet until soft.

It can be used as part of a starter, to spread on bread or crackers, mashed into salad dressing, hummus, ganoush or other spreads and used instead of raw garlic in soups, casseroles and sauces.