Marrowbones are one of those things that sounds a lot more primitive than it is in practice. Sure, eating the middle out of a bone is pretty visceral, but it’s also delicious. I’ve had a few people comment that they thought marrow would be gritty, but I can assure you that done right, it’s like meat butter: it spreads well on toast and tastes sinfully rich. It is comfort food, and with the addition of roasted garlic and just a bit of lemon juice, becomes complex and utterly satisfying on a number of levels.

Roasted Marrow & Garlic

6-8 marrowbones (or two long bones, split lengthwise)

1 head garlic

1 lemon, cut into wedges

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

1 French baguette, sliced on the bias

Preheat oven to 450F. Cut off the top of the head of garlic to expose the cloves inside, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and wrap in tinfoil. Place in a baking pan and place in oven for 20-30 minutes. Remove, unwrap and set aside. In another baking dish, lined with foil, place marrowbones flat-side down. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Toast baguette slices lightly in oven, and serve with marrow and garlic. To eat, smear first a clove of garlic on a baguette, followed by a dollop of marrow, a sprinkle of sea salt and a small squeeze of lemon.