Crispy, Toasted Garlic

It’s almost a shame my parents gave me probably the nicest handheld garlic mincer you can find. The truth is that I have recently discovered the joys of eating thick slices of garlic.

The phrase “toasted garlic” has become cliché among packaged foods and restaurants when they want to make something sound gourmet. But have you ever had toasted garlic? Believe me, you are in for quite a surprise if you haven’t.

What I do is simple: I take a clove of garlic and cut it into slices—not so thin that you can see through it, but not too thick that is is cube-shaped, either. I then cook the slices on medium heat in a thin layer of olive oil in a cast iron pan. You want to get it so that it is crispy brown. It overcooks easily, so watch out for it—the underside can turn pitch black while the top still looks uncooked. I flip it over regularly to brown both sides.

Then I pour the garlic and the olive oil directly onto toasted bread. I used whole wheat hot dog buns last week and it was phenomenal. I imagine french bread would work nicely, too.

Extra points if you put melted cheese and tomatoes on top, maybe fresh basil leaves if you have some handy.

Another great recipe starts out the same: Get your slices of garlic cooking in olive oil and let them start to brown. Then pour in some whisked eggs (which includes milk, salt and pepper in my kitchen). Just prepare scrambled eggs like your normally would at this point. The chunky, toasted garlic mixed in is one of the few experiences in life that I would be willing to classify as “dreamy.”

I’m not sure if what I do is technically “toasted garlic.” You can put whole heads of garlic in a toaster oven, which cooks into something like a spread which you can put on bread, as well. Maybe that is what is meant by the phrase. Whatever you call it, I will say this: There is nothing quite like crispy toasted chucks of garlic mixed into your favorite recipes!