Roasted Radish Salad with Avocado Crema

The peppery bite of fresh radishes dissipates into a buttery, slightly sweet flavor, typical of other root vegetables when this spicy little number is roasted. Who knew? Roasted and topped with avocado crema these creamy textured cooked radishes rival the best roasted vegetables.

The radish is a spicy, peppery little veggie often left to the side or forgotten (don’t you think?). Perhaps it’s the status it holds as a root vegetable that gives it a bad rap, as well as that peppery kick. Or maybe I’m wrong and people love them! Either way, did you know they are part of the mustard family and that the radish’s peppery flavor comes from enzymes that are in mustard as well as horseradish and wasabi root? I think that little tidbit explains a lot! I recently needed something colorful to top one of my meals (cue the Shredded Bulgogi-Style Mushrooms & Tofu) and reached for the radishes I had bought, but as usual, hadn’t yet used. I sliced them, roasted them and was delighted with their mild, gentle flavor. That led to an exploration of serving roasted radishes up regularly, as their own dish, not just a topping. I think the way their flavor and texture transform after roasting, makes them a showstopper of a roasted vegetable salad.

How to Prepare the Radishes

• Trim the Radishes: If your radishes came with the greens attached you should remove the greens and set aside for another use (see below). You can snip off any lengthy roots and simply clean the radishes or you can cut off each end if you prefer a cleaner look.
• Cut the Radishes – For roasting radishes, you need to consider their size as you prepare them. Radishes with a diameter of 1″ +/- can be left whole, while radishes that are 1-2″ in diameter should be sliced in half, and if you have radishes larger than 2″ (it happens!) you can slice them into thirds.

Above: I’ve experimented with leaving the radish greens attached while roasting the radishes, and while the radish greens turn into tasty “chips” (like kale chips), they will be done before the radishes are, so best to separate them and toast separately if you want to make radish green “chips”.

How to Roast the Radishes

The prepared radishes are laid on a sheet pan lined with parchment, then drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted in a 425-degree oven for approximately 30 minutes until a fork can pierce the radishes but there is still a bit of resistance. It couldn’t be simpler. It’s what you decide to do with the roasted beauties that determines the best way to serve them. Read on.

Avocado (Jalapeno) Crema Topping

It may seem counter-intuitive to roast the peppery radishes so that they have a milder flavor and the pepperiness dissipates, and then top them with a spicy jalapeno avocado sauce, so feel free to leave the jalapenos out of the crema if you prefer. That said, this crema is kick-arse, so I highly recommend making it. You simply blitz the ingredients into a smooth electric green frenzy. I’ve chosen non-fat yogurt, but you can use whole milk or anything in between. The lightness of the yogurt plays off the rich healthy fat of the avocado, and the scallion/lime/jalapeno/cilantro add a zippy flavor. It tastes rich and wonderful but is very light (calorie-wise).

Above: Don’t forget the cilantro (noted but not pictured above). Use any plain yogurt (I used non-fat Greek plain), and do what you can to blitz it into oblivion for the beautiful green color shown in the middle photo (add up to 1/4 cup water if needed to achieve that drippy green consistency).

What to Do with the Radish Greens

If your radishes come with greens attached, you can make use of them at another time. Wash them thoroughly, then dry and wrap them in paper towels to store in the refrigerator. Radish greens are very nutritious and can be prepared in various ways such as:

• Quick Pickles: Stay tuned for an official recipe, but with a bit of salt, equal parts water/vinegar, and half the amount of sugar than water, you can add a few seeds such as dill and fennel, cover the greens with the hot liquid and place in the refrigerator. This will create a “quick pickle” that is ready to eat the next day. You can serve alongside any type of dish as a tangy and highly nutritious condiment.
• Radish Green Chips: These can be made by lightly drizzling olive oil, salt, and pepper on the greens, laying them out on a sheet pan, and toasting at 350 in the oven for a few minutes. Unless you are roasting several bunches of radishes with greens attached, the chips won’t amount to very much (see one bunch of greens toasted below), but they are incredibly tasty and even a few make a great snack or topping.
• Green Smoothie: Clean radish greens are great in smoothies, so you can freeze them after washing and pull them out to use in a smoothie anytime.

Serving Suggestions + Toppings

• Topped with the avocado crema and garnished with cilantro sprigs as well as crispy onions (I’m obsessed, see info box below) these roasted radishes are ready to eat as is (see below left photo). Pair with the rest of your meal, as you would any other plate of roasted veggies, or top with an egg for a yummy breakfast.
• Mixing the avocado crema in with the roasted radishes makes a great warm or chilled salad as well (see below right photo).
• Roasted Radish Salad- as you can see, these roasted radishes taste really good tossed warm with the crema or cooled and tossed with chilled crema. They go both ways!