Garlic toast, or grenki, are classic Russian bar food: cheap, filling, and good with beer. Many families also like to make these toasts at home as a way of using up stale slices of Borodinsky bread. If beer is not on the Christmas menu, you might like to try these as appetizers with your Christmas cocktails, or with wine or champagne, as you see fit.
1 small Borodinsky bread loaf
4-6 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
For the sauce:
¼ cup (60g) sour cream
¼ cup (60g) mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
Pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to around 300°F (150°C).
Make 5 thick slices of bread, then cut each slice into long strips and place in a large bowl. Put the garlic in the bowl and add enough oil to coat the bread without making it soggy.
Lay the unbaked garlic toasts onto a baking tray, while making sure they don’t overlap. Bake them in the oven for around 10 minutes, stirring after about 5 minutes.
While the toasts are in the oven, mix together the ingredients for your sauce: sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic and salt.