Food & Wine (March 2009)
We love radishes. Well, we love the idea of radishes.
They look so gorgeous this time of year at the farmers market -- little pink and red and purple orbs gathered in pretty little bunches and piled high in a basket.
The problem is, we just never really know what to do with them. We love the way they add a spicy, crunchy note to salads, but there are only so many salads you can eat.
What else is a radish good for?
We think we've found out. This recipe for Roasted Radishes with Radish Greens was sort of a duh moment for us. Of course you can roast them! Why had that never occurred to us?
This dish is super simple, and it's designed to really let the flavor of the radishes shine. In fact, other than the radishes themselves, it's just the usual suspects of salt, pepper, butter, olive oil and lemon.
Unfortunately, we were a little underwhelmed with this dish. Don't get us wrong -- it tasted delicious. It's just that the roasted radishes ended up tasting pretty much exactly like roasted turnips. Very tasty -- and certainly more colorful than turnips. And the greens are a lovely, yummy addition.
But if your radishes end up just tasting like turnips, what's the point?
We'll definitely try this dish again, though. Only next time, we'll try a slightly shorter cooking time. That ought to help preserve some of the radishes' trademark spicy zing.
Roasted Radishes with Radish Greens
Food & Wine (April 2009)
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Ingredients
-- 3 bunches small radishes with greens attached
-- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-- Salt and freshly ground pepper
-- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
-- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 500°. Trim the radishes and wash the greens; pat dry.
2. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the radishes, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the radishes for 15 minutes, until crisp-tender.
3. Return the skillet to the burner and stir in the butter to coat the radishes. Add the radish greens and cook over moderate heat until they are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season with salt. Serve the radishes right away.
