Roasted Artichokes with Garlic Mayo

Roasted Artichokes are fun to eat and packed with flavor and nutrients. Pull off the salty, crispy leaves to dip into an easy garlic mayo, then eat the artichoke heart!

I feel lucky to have lived in Paris, where artichokes by the crate load arrive in the middle of April from the Brittany region in France and of course, from Italy. I love steamed whole globe artichokes, pulling off the leaves to dip them in butter or some kind of creamy sauce. Coming to the heart at last is like a little reward at the end. Believe it or not, preparing whole artichokes is actually way less intimidating than you think. I'll show you how with this Roasted Artichokes recipe. 

Roasting artichokes after drizzling them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs, results in crispy leaves that will keep you licking your fingers as you pull each off. Imagine dipping leaves in creamy garlic mayo, until you arrive the the artichoke heart, lightly sweetened and caramelized from roasting. There is a bit of prep time involved, but it’s so worth it for a taste of these delicious vegetables. Read on for my tips for buying, storing, and cooking artichokes, then go experiment.

How to Choose Artichokes

At the market, look for firm, heavy globes with tightly packed, unblemished leaves. Leaves may be green or purple. Make sure the stems are not at all slimy. 

How to Store Artichokes

Store artichokes in the refrigerator in a plastic or paper bag (not tightly closed). They will last several days in the refrigerator, even up to a week, but they will taste best the closer it is to the date they were harvested. 

How to Trim an Artichoke

To trim artichokes, cut off the stem and top inch of the artichoke leaves. Peel off small leaves on or near the stem end. Use kitchen scissors to snip off pointy tops of outer leaves.

Cut artichokes in half if you intend to roast or grill them. Use a spoon or melon baller to scrape out the hairy choke, including the purple topped pointy leaves inside.

Squeeze lemon juice from one half of a lemon over the the artichoke insides to prevent browning.

Note that baby artichokes are easier to trim than the large, globe artichokes since there is no fuzzy choke. The entire inside of a baby artichoke is edible, including many of the smaller leaves around the heart.

If you are leaving artichokes intact in order to steam or bake them, you’ll scrape out the hairy choke once you get to it (while eating the artichoke). 

How to Make Roasted Artichokes with Garlic Mayo

Drizzle the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then place four artichoke halves cut-side up in the dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Put 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves into each artichoke cavity. Chop 1 tablespoon of butter into 4 pieces and put one in each cavity. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of herbes de provence over the 4 halves. Season halves with salt and pepper.

Now, carefully flip each artichoke half, tucking the garlic and butter inside. Drizzle outside of the artichokes with remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Cover pan tightly with foil. Roast for 30 min, then remove foil and roast for an additional 20 min. Note that cooking time will vary based on the size of your artichoke globes—that said, it’s hard to overcook an artichoke. And you definitely want to cook them at least 20 minutes without the foil on top so that they will begin to caramelize a bit on the bottom. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Flip artichoke halves over using tongs, and remove garlic cloves.

Chop garlic cloves on a small cutting board.

Put 2 ounces of mayonnaise in a small bowl, and stir in the chopped garlic cloves.

Stir in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice from the remaining lemon half, then season with salt and pepper. 

To double down on the garlic flavor, roast a whole head of garlic and add that in too—see how in my How to Roast Garlic post.

How to Eat an Artichoke

To eat, peel off the outside leaves of the artichoke and dip the very bottom of each leaf into the garlic mayo. Use your teeth to scrape off the bottom flesh of the leaf. As you make your way to the inside of the artichoke, leaves become more and more tender, and you’ll be able to eat the bottom parts of the leaves.

When you have peeled off all of the leaves, you’re left with the heart of the artichoke (the best part!). Just cut it into pieces and dip into the garlic mayo. 

Want an alternative to the garlic mayo in this recipe? These artichokes are absolutely delicious when paired with my Truffle Aioli (Truffle Mayo), my Garlic Horseradish Aioli, my Sriracha Aioli, my Black Garlic Aioli, or my Roasted Garlic Aioli. Or, you can melt some salted butter and dip leaves in that—easy and so good. 

What to Serve with Roasted Artichokes

Roasted Artichokes are a delicious side dish for so many different main courses. You could serve them for lunch, with a slice of Quiche Florentine for a delicious vegetarian meal. Or make a French-inspired meal by serving artichokes along with steamed potatoes and this Easy Sole Meunière. They would also be delicious paired with Spicy Scallop Scampi or Panko Crusted Salmon Fillets. 

Can I Double This Roasted Artichokes Recipe?

The thing about whole artichokes is that they are not small. I could fit just four halves into my baking dish. Depending on the size of your baking dish, you may be able to fit more. If not, I’d recommend using two baking dishes. The artichokes will caramelize better if they are not jammed together too tightly. 

Other Ways to Cook Artichokes

Perhaps the most common way to cook artichokes is to steam them. One you have cleaned and trimmed your artichokes, just put them upright in a large saucepan with an inch or two of water in it. Choose a stainless steel, glass, or enamel pan since iron or aluminum cookware will cause oxidation and thus discoloration in the artichokes. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pot, and cook until artichokes are tender, about 30-40 minutes. You can check whether the artichokes are done by inserting a knife into the heart—it should go through easily. Or, try to pull a leaf off. When one comes off easily, they’re done. 

You can also use a microwave to steam artichokes—just trim artichoke and put in a glass bowl with an inch of water in it. Cover with plastic wrap and cook for about 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke. Another option is to grill artichokes. Trim and halve them as directed in this recipe, then rub with oil and grill until tender (about 30 minutes on medium heat). Finally, you can stuff artichokes with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and herbs, and wrap in foil—then bake until tender. 

Other Roasted Vegetable Recipes

I love to roast vegetables—roasting really brings out the sweetness of a vegetable, and I can’t get enough of those caramelized edges. If you’re into roasting too, you might want to check out the following roasted vegetable recipes:

• Roasted Broccoli and Carrots
• Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce
• Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
• Roasted Celeriac with Truffle Oil
• Roasted Turnips with Honey
• Roasted Romanesco Broccoli
• Roasted Broccoli Rabe  

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