For these roasted radishes, multi-colored radishes are tossed in butter and olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and roasted in the oven until tender and sweet. Thyme leaves add an herbal touch.
We can’t get enough of these roasted roots. The heat tames their bite, making them as docile as anything dug out of the ground can be. You may wish to double the amount you think you’ll need as a side. Seriously. They disappear darn quickly. And if butter’s not your thing, simply use more olive oil in its place. Originally published May 11, 2010.–Renee Schettler Rossi
Roasted Radishes
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 2 bunches) radishes, such as icicle, French, or Easter egg-colored radishes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 oz), melted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Leaves from 3 or 4 thyme sprigs (about 1 tablespoon), plus more for garnish (optional)
Directions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- 2. Lop the tops off the radishes, leaving about 1/2 inch of the green stem attached, if desired. Rinse the radishes well.
- 3. Place the radishes on a rimmed baking sheet or in a large ovenproof skillet or two. Drizzle with the melted butter and olive oil, sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and thyme, if desired, and toss to coat.
- 4. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the radishes are tender but still slightly crunchy (red radishes will turn pale pink in color, lighter radishes may turn a pale gold). Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with fresh thyme, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Testers Reviews
Roasting vegetables really concentrates their flavor and brings out their sweetness, and thankfully these radishes are no exception. They are very good, especially if you like turnips, as that is what I would liken the flavor to. Almost radnips! I opted to use thyme leaves, because that is what I love. However, my radishes must have been extra plump (even after halving them and placing them cut-side down), as they took 25 minutes to roast rather than the 10-15 as stated in the recipe. They remained pleasantly crunchy. As the regular radishes were on hand, that is what I used and they were very pretty. But they would be even more beautiful if they were spring Easter egg radishes or other colored ones. In my opinion they were tasty and pretty enough to give this recipe a TC; however, if you do not enjoy a slightly turnipy taste, these may not be for you. After removing them from the oven I tasted them and felt they lacked a touch of seasoning, which was remedied with a bit of crunchy gray sea salt.
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I have heard of cooking radishes before, such as the daikon but never little red radishes. I happen to have some local radishes in the refrigerator and had no idea what else to do with them. Thanks for the inspiration.
You bet, RisaG!
I too had sauteed radishes before, but not roasted any until seeing this recipe. They were so good! I liked roasted better than sauteed. The radishes I used had quite a spicy bite to them when raw, and the roasting mellowed them out nicely.
Susan, I’m delighted you liked them. I do, too. I’m not a fan of the salt or butter treatment with radishes. I find them too bitter raw.
David, this sounds like a really interesting way of eating radishes. I have sauteed them but never roasted them. This sounds really good.
Tell us what you think if you make them, RisaG.
My oh my, what a fantastic idea!
It is, isn’t it, Christine?