Roasted Garlic Flatbread Pizza

So recently, i discovered the magic of roasting my own garlic at home. 
It seemed before this, i was only

indulging in this fragrant, creamy goodness in pizza parlours and higher end restaurants...no longer. I did first close my mouth on some roasted garlic cloves while eating a freshly made pizza on a fun date with Nathan. There is this beautiful restaurant, over in east gr, that is a former mansion, turned full time restaurant. [i will never in all my life learn how to spell the word restaurant properly. thank you, spell check, for reminding me of this fact-with your loud red squiggly line.] I decided on build-your-own pizza that evening and so i thought i would try roasted garlic as one of my many toppings. 

Ah me. Was it ever good! Garlic takes on a sweet, fragrant flavor, almost a bit smokey after being slow roasted in the oven. It was creamy, smooth on the palate, and i must have ate 9 or 10 of them one sitting. Fortunately, i did not wreak of garlic or sweat it out my pores like i do if i eat it raw. so that is an added bonus. 

Nathan and I were on a pizza kick anyways, so for the next couple of dates,  we were at places that served up delicious pizzas, and i always added or chose roasted garlic as one of my toppings. Just fabulous. 

i know myself enough to know that once a favored food gets in my head, heart, soul, and mostly stomach, I just have to try my hand at it at home. I mean, why not? Garlic bulbs themselves, are very cheap, so at the very worst i would be out a few quarters if this endeavor failed. 

So, here is my recipe for roasted garlic. unbelievably easy, and so worth the time in the oven. my house smelled wonderful, and they just took my flat bread pizza up 10 notches.

please try:) and of course, enjoy. following the roasted garlic recipe, is an easy recipe for flat bread pizza, showcasing the garlic...

all ingredients needed:
1-2 bulbs of garlic, whole
olive oil
kosher sea salt

naan- i use the pack we purchased from Costco
pesto
potatoes, cut, cooked and cubed
goat cheese
red onion
2-3 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled
fresh spinach

for roasted garlic:
preheat oven to 350 degrees

take whole bulb and cut off tipped end-leave loose outer shell in tact, but you should see the tops of the garlic cloves nestled inside.

place flat side down in a sheet of tin foil. 
drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a bit of sea salt. 
[salt optional.] loosely fold over tin foil over garlic bulb, twist to seal it up. 

pop in oven for 45 minutes. you want the garlic to be soft when it comes out, it should be easily pierced with a sharp thin knife. 

let cool.  when ready to use, remove from foil and gently turn bulb upside down and pop out each clove out of its cozy spot. they should come out fairly easily. 

For flat bread pizza:
leave the oven on and assemble your pizza.
i cooked the cubed potatoes ahead of time, as well as the bacon, so i could choose my toppings and eat shortly after..

on naan, spread pesto as the base.
sprinkle with red onion, potato, bacon, and slices of goat cheese.
and garlic. DON'T FORGET THE GARLIC.  be generous with the roasted garlic:)

pop in oven-i used a baking sheet, but it is also optional to place naan directly on rack.
bake for about 10-12 minutes, then last 5-6 minutes on broil to just give it the final touch of love.
remove from oven carefully. 

top with freshly chopped spinach.
cool slightly, and enjoy with a fine glass of red wine-i would suggest a Robert Mondavi Cabernet Savignon..

a wonderful summer dinner for sure.