When developing recipes for my book, the first root vegetable that came to mind was the radish. In Louisiana, we see pink, red, and purple radishes all the time and their peppery flavor makes for flavorful sides, lovely salad toppers, and fantastic starters with the right kind of comforting ingredients. Thus, the Radish Crostini with simple bread, butter, or goat cheese was born.
Something about the crisp and clean flavors of radishes bedded on a whole grain bread or baguette makes a combination of butter or goat cheese sing. Radishes are a bit of an alpha-male-like root that can play off a simple base (like butter or cheese) with serious attitude. As bold as they are beautiful, radishes top my list of favorite spring, summer, fall, and winter roots available all the year round.
Slice radishes thinly for those new radish eaters, top with coarse salt, green onions or herb de Provence for a beautiful side that’s sure to make people question their love of wintry roots. —Helana Brigman
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