Peel away excess layers of papery white skin from the garlic, but leave enough layers so the head of garlic stays together. Cut about ¼-inch from the top of the cloves so that you can see inside the individual cloves of garlic.
Place the garlic on a small square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Wrap up the foil around the garlic and place on a baking sheet.
Bake until the cloves inside are light brown and soft, 40 to 70 minutes. Check on the garlic every so often to see how it is progressing.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Then squeeze at the base of the garlic to remove the roasted cloves.
Mashed Potatoes
If desired, peel the potatoes and place in a large stockpot. Cover with water and add in about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-25 minutes or until fully cooked and easy to pierce with a knife.
Drain out the water and add the cooked potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Add in the brown butter and roasted garlic cloves. Turn the mixer on low until the potatoes are fully mashed.
Add in the sour cream, heavy cream, herbs, salt and pepper and whip the potatoes until creamy and fluffy.
Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
Notes
Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir frequently and watch closely for the formation of brown specs on the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Once you see brown specs, stir for just a few more seconds (it browns super quickly). Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a different bowl to prevent it from burning. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Note: For every ½ cup (1 stick or 113g), you'll lose about 1 tablespoon (14g) to evaporation while cooking. So you can either add in an extra 1 tablespoon before browning, or if you're browning big batches, just make up the weight difference in your recipe with regular unsalted butter if needed.