It’s officially spring, y’all! It’s especially evident here in Texas: warmer weather is (mostly) here, wildflowers are everywhere, and all our cars are covered in pollen. It’s time for the whole state to find a cold beer and a patio! As I sit here typing I can see three different neighbors working in their yards, I’m exhausted for them.
The best part about spring? The food. Duh. (Technically the best part of any season is the food, but just go with me here.) Spring is the season of brunch, Easter candy, and fresh produce. The combination of perfect weather and great vegetables is the perfect inspiration to eat lighter and leave the heavy dishes of winter in the past. Then you can treat yourself with a Cadbury creme egg or a mimosa. Or both. Who am I to judge?
For me, one of the unsung heroes of the spring produce lineup is the radish. The little root veggie is crisp and peppery, and welcome on salads and crudités platters alike. But did you know it’s equally as delicious roasted? AND that you can eat the tops? Well, you can. To both.
When you roast a radish, you mellow out the pepperiness just a bit and make it just tender enough to be able to stick a fork into it easily without losing its crunch factor. When you make these roasted radishes with citrus vinaigrette and breadcrumbs, you do all that while adding a sweet bright flavor and yummy toasted bread. A light spring side dish that isn’t salad? Winner.
I dressed these jewels with a simple vinaigrette made with orange marmalade, dijon mustard, lemon juice and olive oil. I added some of the radish tops, because they added a nice fresh radish flavor and a pretty green color. You could easily make more of this dressing and store it in a jar in your fridge for salads throughout the week. Don’t want to spring for a jar of marmalade? Well you obviously don’t like Paddington Bear, and you could just use honey, or leave it out all together for a more tart dressing. Don’t dig on radishes? I bet this would be just as delicious with carrots. Just cut them into big slices and roast them the same way.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 lemon, zested, 1 tablespoon of juice
- 2 bunches radishes
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon orange marmalade
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- In an oven safe skillet (cast iron or carbon steel work really well), melt butter over medium low heat. Add breadcrumbs and stir to coat. Toast breadcrumbs until golden brown stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add lemon zest and stir to combine. Toast about another 30 seconds. Turn off burner. Remove breadcrumbs from the pan and set aside.
- Wash radishes and tops thoroughly. Remove radishes from the tops, save 10 to 12 of the larger radish greens. Trim both the root and stem end from the radish. Slice the radishes in half lengthwise and place cut side down, in one layer, in the same skillet you used for the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Roast radishes in oven for 15-18 minutes until just tender, but still firm in the middle.
- While the radishes are in the oven, whisk together dijon, marmalade, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice until marmalade is incorporated. Add olive oil and whisk to combine.
- Roughly chop the 10 to 12 radish leaves and add to dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- When radishes are done, remove from oven and immediately add dressing to skillet. Toss to combine.
- Serve warm or room temperature topped with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs.
2 Comments
This sounds amazing. I’ll be trying it for sure! Keep up the good work, this is exactly the type of food I love to prepare after a busy day. Thanks for sharing!
These were amazing! I didn’t have orange marmalade and used my homemade bourbon peach jam and these were awesome! I will definitely make these again.