WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
While they’re great raw or in salads, radishes are a worthy candidate for roasting. Their crisp texture holds up well to high heat, yielding a tender but meaty interior. Roasting also mellows the spiciness of radishes, concentrating their natural sugars for a nutty, slightly sweet flavor. We started by roasting halved radishes cut side down in oil. These radishes were mild and slightly sweet, but also too bland for a finished dish and lacking any golden-brown color— a bit anemic. To facilitate browning and to complement the nuttiness of the radishes, we tossed them in a mixture of melted butter and white miso, then roasted them on the bottom rack of the oven. The butter produced superior browning on the cut side, while the miso added a pleasing savory quality. To make the most of our radishes, we used the mild, peppery green tops in a simple salad, pairing them both with a tangy yogurt-tahini sauce and a sprinkling of pistachios and sesame seeds. This is a simple but elegant dish, with bold and complementary flavors that bring out the unexpectedly sweeter side of radishes. If you can’t find radishes with their greens, you can substitute baby arugula or watercress.
SERVES: 4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 4 teaspoons juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped toasted pistachios or almonds
- 1½ teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 5½ teaspoons white miso (optional)
- 1½ teaspoons honey
- 2 pounds radishes with their greens, root ends of radishes trimmed, radishes halved lengthwise, 8 cups greens reserved
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Prepare the yogurt-tahini sauce and pistachio mixture:
- Whisk yogurt, tahini, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon juice, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper together in a bowl; set aside for serving.
- Combine pistachios, sesame seeds, cumin, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside for serving.
- ROAST THE RADISHES:
- Adjust oven rack to the lowest position and heat oven to 500 degrees.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Whisk melted butter, 5 teaspoons miso (if using), 1 teaspoon honey, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl until smooth.
- Add radishes and toss to coat.
- Arrange radishes cut side down on the prepared sheet and roast until tender and well browned on cut side, 10 to 15 minutes.
- PREPARE THE RADISH GREENS:
- Whisk oil, remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice, remaining ½ teaspoon miso (if using), remaining ½ teaspoon honey, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper in a clean large bowl until smooth.
- Add radish greens and toss to coat.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- ASSEMBLE AND SERVE:
- To serve, spread a portion of yogurt-tahini sauce over the bottom of individual serving plates.
- Top with roasted radishes and radish greens, then sprinkle with pistachio mixture.
