Garlic Confit

Peel the garlic: Use the heel of your hand to firmly smash the head of garlic into individual, unpeeled cloves. You will likely need to smash the head a few times until all the cloves loosen. In an airtight mason jar or a bowl with a lid, add the garlic cloves. With the lid tightly closed, shake the container vigorously for 30 seconds. Next, open the container, and continue shaking in 30‑second intervals until all garlic cloves have loosened from their skins. At this point, most, if not all, of the cloves should easily peel away from their skins. If you have a few unpeeled cloves, peel them by hand.

Trim the garlic: Use a knife to trim off the ends of the garlic and place them into a small, 2-quart saucepan.

Cook the garlic confit: Pour the olive oil into the saucepan, ensuring the garlic is fully submerged. You may need to add more oil, depending on the size of your cloves. Set the saucepan on medium‑low heat and bring to a simmer. You should see a mix of medium‑sized and smaller bubbles frequently coming to the surface and popping. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting on your stove or until small, gentle bubbling occurs. If the bubbling is too vigorous, move the saucepan slightly off the burner to lower the heat under the saucepan. If no bubbling is occurring, increase the heat slightly. Let the garlic cloves cook for 45 minutes, or until they are golden‑brown, and easily mash with a fork with little resistance.

Check the garlic confit: Garlic should taste slightly sweet and caramelized. As the garlic cooks, make sure to check on it every few minutes to adjust the heat as needed and maintain tiny bubbles. The cooking process may take as long as 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the garlic and the temperature of the pan.

Store the garlic confit: Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the garlic confit into a heatproof mason jar or container. You may want to place a funnel into the jar to prevent spillage while transferring the liquid. Use a container large enough to ensure the oil completely submerges the garlic. Close the jar with an airtight lid, and immediately refrigerate.