Recipe: Herb-Roasted Garlic and Shallots

Serves 6 to 8.

Note: Straightforward and easy, this recipe yields magnificent results. You can choose to roast just the garlic or the shallots by themselves, but they are especially delicious when roasted together. The puréed garlic will keep several days, covered, in the refrigerator. From Beth Dooley.

• 5 to 6 heads garlic, cut in half horizontally

• 2 medium shallots, cloves, cut in half horizontally

• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

• 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange the garlic and shallots cut side up in baking pan or ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the thyme over the garlic and shallots, drizzle with the oil, and lightly season with the salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the cloves are very soft, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue roasting until the cloves are golden, another 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the cloves.

To serve, present the whole garlic halves and shallots in their skin on a serving plate. Or, squeeze the garlic and shallots from the heads into a food processor fitted with steel blade and purée.