Garlic, the same garlic that the Jews pined for in the desert, is an ever-present ingredient in any decent kitchen’s pantry. I say pantry and not refrigerator because, if you’ve ever seen the rotating quotes on the bottom of the sidebar, Anthony Bourdain writes:
“Avoid at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in screwtop jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don’t deserve to eat garlic.”
And I wholeheartedly agree.
Garlic has far too many applications in the kitchen to enumerate, but I’m sure you’re familiar with many of them, including dried garlic powder, garlic in brine and marinades, and roasted garlic, which spreads like butter on crusty bread. But, for die hard, don’t-kiss-me-honey garlic lovers, there is one way to enjoy it so that you’ll never look at garlic the same way again.
Garlic paste. This is garlic’s wild side.
It’s so simple to make; 2 parts garlic, one part oil and salt. But the fury that garlic can be – whether unleashed by pestle, processor or immersion blender – must be experienced to be believed. The gentle fragrance with sweet notes gently tantalizes your nostrils, and as you lean in to fill your senses with those delicious vapors, a nuclear fireball of garlicness assaults your face, scratching at your eyes and flaring in your sinuses. The pungency is thanks to a sulfurous compound called allicin that is created when garlic cloves are violently mangled. It cooks out, but man oh man, it’s so good while it lasts.
And still you want more, please.
I know, you’re still skeptical. After all, the garlic in the jar is the same thing, right? Wrong. Oh, so wrong. Here’s a simple way to prove that peeling a head of garlic is worth the effort. Make garlic bread. Divide a baguette, and on one half use whatever garlic you like to use, and on the other half, garlic paste. You will be converted as quickly as I was to good coffee.
Rub it under the skin of your next roast chicken, finish off a pasta sauce with a teaspoon of garlic paste, or whisk it into your next vinaigrette or Caesar dressing. The only think you’ll regret is that it loses it’s sharp bite after a while, so you can’t make too much at once.
And if it’s too much garlic for you (if there is such a thing), you can bake it until it mellows.
- Prep Time : 25 min
- Cook Time : 60 min
- Ready Time : 1 hour, 25 min
Servings
Ingredients
- 1.2 kilograms baby new potatoes
- 90 grams crushed garlic
- 40 mililiters vegetable oil
- 5 grams kosher salt
Directions
- Quarter the new potatoes into long wedges.
- Combine garlic, oil and salt.
- Using an immersion blender or mortar and pestle, make a paste from the garlic, oil and salt.
- Coat the potatoes with the garlic paste. Lay them out on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Bake at 190°c (375°F) for one hour, turning the potatoes once.
Comments
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 164
- Total Fat: 5.2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 255mg
- Total Carbs: 27.3g
- Dietary Fiber: 3.8g
- Protein: 3.2g
I find a garlic press to be an essential cooking tool, especially if you only need a little bit for a dressing or sauce.
A garlic press is one of the more contentious kitchen gadgets. Alton Brown calls them unitaskers, which he despises in the kitchen (except for a fire extinguisher). I find them impossible to clean, and oddly enough, it doesn't give you the garlic bomb I described in the post.
TMTOWTDI. It stands for there's more than one way to do it. It's a programming thing. There are silicone cones that help rub off the paper. When I am throwing it into a marinade, I just squash it with the heel of my hand and throw it in, paper and all. I use the flat of my knife for just a couple of cloves at a time, and mince it.
Most of the time, I just pull out a 1qt. sauce pot and smack it. It's delightfully satisfying in a primeval way, even if I have to chase some cloves that go skittering across the counter.
I found something better than a garlic press–the press keeps too much garlic behind! This little beauty cuts it up finely and leaves it near a paste (though I think I'm going to take it further with your recipe, which sounds divine). It's called a Garlic Twist, made by NexTrend. I got mine quite a while ago and LOVE it. They're on a 3rd generation version by now. I might have a spare, unopened one lying around if you're interested… See: http://garlictwist.com/