I love garlic! What are some easy ways to cook with it?

While garlic shows up in abundance in American versions of Italian dishes, it is used very subtly in Italy, where the concept of "less is more" prevails. Here are a few of our favorite ways to bring out the flavor of garlic.

• Whole garlic: Roast the entire bulb to bring out a nutty, mild, almost sweet taste. Then squeeze the soft, mellow garlic from its papery skin onto slices of bread.
• Sliced garlic: When just a hint of garlic is needed, slices will do. Toss slices into a sauce as it simmers. Or add them to water you're using to cook potatoes, drain, then mash.
• Press garlic: For true garlic lovers, the tiny pieces produced by a garlic press offer the most pungent bite. The finer the pieces, the more pronounced the flavor.