Vampires, beware. Roasted garlic is nearly impossible to resist at this time of year, whether it appears as a toast topper or an enhancement to fluffy mashed potatoes. Roasting takes pungent and spicy garlic cloves and mellows them into a soft and buttery spread. Embrace this fundamental cooking component with five of our favorites.

1. The mother of all garlicky indulgences, garlic bread (pictured above) tops our list. The crunch of the crusty bread paired with the creamy roasted garlic makes it the ideal pairing for soups and stews.

2. Feeling French? Whip up some  roasted garlic aioli, Provencal-style, and serve with crisp, browned artichokes for dipping.

3. We can’t think of many things sadder than bland mashed potatoes. Kick up your batch with warm roasted garlic. Bobby Flay adds mascarpone cheese for an extra velvety texture.

4. For the biggest Garlic Groupies, we recommend Alton Brown’s garlic-packed recipe, which as the name suggests, is one chicken roasted with 40 peeled garlic cloves.

5. Tomatoey pasta dishes would not be complete without the savory depth of roasted garlic. Case in point: Rachael Ray’s roasted tomato & roasted garlic puttanesca with a salty punch of olives and anchovies.

The Lemon Bowl: Crispy Garlic Baked Chicken Breasts

Jeanette's Healthy Living: Roasted Garlic Tomato Pasta Sauce

Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Baking Sheet Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic, Peppers & Eggplant

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Red Swiss Chard with Roasted Garlic & Balsamic

Red or Green: Pasta Puttanesca with Roasted Garlic

Taste with the Eyes: Crusted Ahi with Roasted Garlic Tahini

Dishing With Divya: Baked Salmon with Garlic and Herbs

Virtually Homemade: Roasted Broccoli and Garlic with Feta Cheese

The Cultural Dish: Roasted Garlic Infused Olive Oil

Domesticate Me: Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Garlic, Goat Cheese and Pepitas