If you love olives, this recipe is for you: Garlic Roasted Olives. A baking dish filled with a colorful mix of olives roasted with garlic, paper-thin lemon slices and jalapeño, fresh thyme, briny capers, small cubes of feta, and a generous drizzle of olive oil. As it roasts, the oven fills with an irresistible aroma that will draw you to peek at the sizzling pan.

The secret to these Garlic Roasted Olives is variety: use several types of quality olives — oil-cured, brine-cured, marinated, large and small, or those stuffed with almonds or peppers. Toss them with garlic, lemon, jalapeño, thyme, capers, feta, and olive oil, then roast until the mixture is hot and bubbling. The heat amplifies each olive’s character — fruity, briny, smoky, nutty, or slightly bitter — while mellowing the garlic and softening the feta. The result is a balanced, addictive dish that keeps you reaching back for another taste.

This is an indulgent appetizer but one that makes a big impression at parties or holiday gatherings. Serve it with rustic, crusty bread and it can be the centerpiece appetizer, a satisfying vegetarian main, or a rich accompaniment to grilled, broiled, or roasted fish, chicken, or pork.

Placing a platter of warm Garlic Roasted Olives and bread on the table evokes a Mediterranean approach to eating: select excellent ingredients, treat them simply, and let them shine. The result is effortless and elegant.

Cook’s Notes

Choose a variety of sizes, types, and colors of olives for visual appeal and flavor contrast. Preferably use all pitted olives to make eating easy and avoid guests having to spit out pits. If you use pit-in olives, try to keep them all pit-in for a consistent experience.
A good ratio to aim for is about 1 cup each of Kalamata and oil-cured olives, then about 1 3/4 cups of other selections from the olive bar — a mix of green and black, large and small, some stuffed with almonds or peppers. A multi-hued dish looks beautiful on the table.
If possible, buy a block of feta and cut it into 1/4-inch cubes. Cubes that toast on the top and edges become golden and add great texture. If you only have crumbled feta, use about 3/4 cup and sprinkle it on top near the end of baking so it doesn’t disintegrate in the hot oil and lemon juice.
Use thin slices of lemon rather than squeezing lemon juice over the olives. Roasted lemon slices mellow and sweeten with heat, and nibbling a sliver of roasted lemon helps cut through the richness of the olives. Remove seeds when slicing for a smoother eating experience.
I slice the jalapeño thinly and keep seeds and membranes for some heat. If you prefer less spice, pierce the jalapeño several times and add it whole (stem removed) to the center of the dish; it will add pepper flavor without much heat.
No additional salt is needed — most ingredients are already briny or salty. Adding salt can overpower the dish and mask the natural flavors.
Garlic Roasted Olives are best served hot or warm, but they’re also delicious at room temperature, making them ideal for entertaining.

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Garlic Roasted Olives

Rebecca Lindamood

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Adapted with thanks to The View from Great Island.

Ingredients

3 3/4 cups assorted good olives preferably pitted
1 whole lemon seeds removed, thinly sliced
1 fresh jalapeño pepper or, for lower spice levels, pierced several times and left whole, stem removed, thinly sliced
1 cup 1/4-inch cubes of feta cheese
4 cloves garlic peeled and minced or pressed
6 sprigs fresh thyme plus extra for garnish
1 tablespoon capers drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine all ingredients in a deep baking dish or pie plate and toss to coat. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the dish is sizzling and some feta and lemon edges are golden and caramelized. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and serve immediately with crusty bread.

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use if desired.