Roasted Radishes with Radish Greens

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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(This Photo: Food & Wine)

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.

Comments

[jennk/cinnamonquill]

Suddenly, I have hope that I will not be so forlorn when I look at the dazzling radishes at the farmer's market. Plus, I love roasted turnips with rosemary and balsamic, so now I am going to give radishes the treatment. I had never considered roasting them either. Nice!

[Cyndi]

As a turnip lover, who is looking for more alternatives to potatoes, this is a recipe I'll have to try soon. You're right - other than salads, how else could you eat them?

[TexasDeb]

I have a friend who sautes halved radishes and their greens in duck fat. I've never yet tasted them but the photos are enough to make a person need a chair and a sip of water.

[TexasDeb]

Oh- I nearly forgot! At this very moment I have pork strips braising in the oven to make an adaptation of your carnitas recipe. I thought I'd make the pork ahead and brown it just in time for a Cinco de Mayo dinner but may not hold out that long. Quatro de Mayo anyone? ¡Gracias!

[Connie Keirns]

My favorite use for radishes is a radish sandwich: soft white bread heavily buttered (real butter), then loaded with thinly sliced radishes about 1/2" deep. That's an old Midwest farmer's sandwich..

[ann]

I recently tried out a common French breakfast: slices of toasted baguette spread with cold butter, topped with thinly sliced radish and a sprinkling of crunchy salt, like Maldon. I read about this a couple of years ago and underestimated it. But when faced with a bunch of radishes in my CSA, I decided to try it out. Woah! I'm completely addicted. Now I get 3 bunches every week at the farmers market! I see that it's similar to the Midwest farmer's sandwich mentioned above... The formula can also be applied to water crackers instead of baguette.

[SippitySup]

I was happy to come across this recipe and your thoughts. I had decided to roast some radishes tonight and was feeling a bit nervous that nobody ever tried it before. This gives me the courage I need to forge ahead... Tune in Thursday, Nov 5, 2009 to SippitySup to see how I did. I will certainly link to this page. GREG

[BCD]

I literally just made this recipe from Food and Wine. Upon my first bite, I immediately thought: these taste like turnips. Though, I really do like the concept of roasted radishes and I stumbled on your blog in my attempt to find additional recipes. Great site!

[RugbyCook]

A good way to try this is to quarter the radishes before cooking and a use as a bruschetta toping. (That's how it's served at one of Gerard Craft's restaurants.) We brushed the bread with olive oil, toasted it and then rubbed it with a raw garlic clove. The bread and the garlic really bring a lot to the dish.