If you’ve only eaten raw radishes, be sure to add this to your repertoire or radish recipes. Roasting them takes out the bite and pepperiness, transforming them into a milder and sweeter vegetable, closer in taste and texture to a turnip or potato.
Place them in the pan cut side down to get a nice crispy finish on the cut side. A roasting time of 20 minutes will get the job done, but they may still have a bit of crunch. Lengthen the time, and in 25 to 30 minutes, they’ll be fork tender, which is how we prefer them.
The compound butter is quite good and, as David points out, quite versatile. As an alternative to the compound butter, you can get a similar effect by tossing the roasted radishes with some melted butter and chopped herbs at the end of the initial roasting time.
If you’re fortunate enough to find multi-colored radishes (usually in the spring), you’ll have the same look as in the photos. If they’re not available in your market, the more readily available red ones will work just fine.
Finally, if yours come with healthy-looking green tops, be sure to save them and sauté them in some vegetable oil to serve as a side or mix in with the roasted radishes.
