The French have a saying, "You must watch what you're cooking like milk on the stove," referring, of course, to the fact that milk can boil over in a flash. Case in point: Garlic chips are sweet and nutty when cooked just right, but let them go just a little too long, and they become burnt and acrid.

　　

Ingredients

Serves about 4 as a garnish

　　4 garlic cloves, as large as possible, peeled

　　1 cup olive oil

　　

Step 1

Using a small slicer or a mandoline, slice the garlic very thin.

　　

Step 2

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Line a plate with two paper towels. To test the temperature of the oil, add a slice of garlic. If it sizzles, add the rest of the garlic and cook until just crisp and light golden brown, a matter of seconds. Use a flat slotted skimmer to keep the slices from sticking together as they cook, and transfer them to the paper towels to drain the moment they turn color. (The oil can be strained and used for another batch or reserved for another use.)

　　From Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way by Francis Mallmann. Copyright © 2009 by Francis Mallmann; photography © 2009 by Santiago Solo Monllor. Published by Artisan, a division of Workman Publishing Company.