Roasted Garlic Oil

I have seen a few herb or flavoured oils on the blogsphere that have sounded pretty interesting. I recently came across a recipe that called for some roasted garlic oil and I though that it was time that I give it a try. It turned out to be pretty easy to make. It was the same as making roasted garlic except that you use a lot more oil to absorb all of the flavour. You can also add hints of other flavours like thyme and peppercorn by adding them to the oil while it roasts. The roasting garlic smelled really good and the oil retained that aroma. The oil had a really amazing roasted garlic flavour. It was well worth the effort to make. The best part might be all of the roasted garlic that is left over that you can use for other things. :)

Ingredients
3 heads garlic
2 cups olive oil
3 sprigs thyme
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

Directions:
1. Cut the tops off of the heads of garlic.
2. Place the garlic in a baking pan with the cut side down.
3. Add the thyme and pepper.
4. Pour the oil over the garlic, thyme and pepper.
5. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 300F oven until the garlic is golden brown and soft, about an hour.
6. Drain the garlic oil and set aside to cool.
7. Very Important: Reserve all of the amazing roasted garlic for other uses. :)



Take a look at the Weekend Herb Blogging roundup at Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska.