Roasted Marrow Bones

Photo: Gorey

Ingredients

4 pounds of beef marrow bones, cut in 2- 3- inch lengths

Kosher or sea salt

black pepper

1 bunch parsley leaves, washed and rough chopped

1 shallot, chopped very fine

1 tablespoon &½ fresh lemon juice (or substitute red wine vinegar)

1 teaspoon brined capers, chopped

olive oil

2 springs fresh rosemary (or 1 tbsp. dried leaves), finely chopped

2 springs fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp. dried), finely chopped

1 loaf crusty bread, cut into ½- inch slices

1 head garlic

Preparation

Heat oven to 350-degrees F.

Add chopped rosemary and thyme to a small bowl of oil; set aside to marinate.

Tear off a small square of foil; grease it lightly with plain oil; place entire head of unpeeled garlic on it. Fold up loosely around the garlic. Place in oven. Roast for about 30 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Set aside at room temp.

Place bread slices on an oiled baking sheet and drizzle with a bit more of the herbed oil. Sprinkle with salt and put in oven. Lightly toast, turning them as needed. This should only take a few minutes. Do not walk away from the oven or you'll have burnt offerings.

When toasted, set both the bread and roasted garlic aside to work on the bones.

Crank oven up to 450-degrees F.

Arrange the bones on end so that they're standing up, in a baking vessel. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place in oven.

The bones will roast in about 15 to 20 minutes. There is no need to fuss with them - like turning or flipping - just watch them to check for readiness.

When done, they should be slightly browned and the marrow should be soft but not runny. If you overcook, the marrow will melt and run out of the bones, which you can still eat, but with more difficulty.

While the bones are sizzling, combine parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper, a few drops of plain oil, and the capers in a small bowl. Toss to combine well.

Cut the head of garlic in half, cross-wise, to expose the cloves inside.

When bones are ready, remove from oven and allow to rest for just a minute or two. Then, serve bones on plates with the bread, garlic halves, and parsley salad.

To eat: remove marrow from bones; sometimes it will just slide out, or you can use a small spoon or chopstick to coax it out.

Spread this most divine substance on the toasted bread (with or without a smear of roasted garlic), sprinkle with more good-quality salt and some of the greens.