Radish Sandwiches Put The Root Vegetable In The Limelight
Radishes are an often overlooked vegetable. When it comes to deciding the perfect side item, potato recipes or broccoli recipes often take the limelight. Outside of an appearance in a salad, some families may not even know how to properly eat a radish. Sure, you can roast them and grill them, but if you really want to make the vegetable the star of your next meal, you should consider making radish sandwiches.
A radish sandwich finally gives the neglected vegetable its moment in the sun. The slight bitterness and zestiness of the radish pair well with a nice piece of buttered bread, making for a light but still fulfilling afternoon snack. Likewise, the texture of the radish solves one of the most maligned issues with sandwiches — their limp, sometimes soggy consistency. With a radish sandwich, especially if you're eating the radishes raw or roasted, each bite should have a solid and distinct crunch. Roasting and grilling the veggies brings out a slight sweetness to them, as well. According to the Mayo Clinic, radishes are a great source of both antioxidants and Vitamin C, making for a potentially nutritious snack. It's something your entire family could enjoy.
A French tradition
While radish sandwiches may not be as popular in the United States, they're part of European cuisine — specifically in a French recipe. The nation's love for the vegetable is so vast that there's even a radish variety called a French breakfast. However, the French don't typically eat radishes for breakfast, but they do serve the veggie up in a number of ways including with salt and butter. In particular, the nation seems fond of radish sandwiches where the roots are roasted or sauteed and served on a baguette.
Typically, the French radish sandwich will leave a bit of the stem on the radish. However, you can feel free to remove that portion of the vegetable if it's not up to your liking. As far as bread goes, almost any kind will do, although you should toast your bread for texture's sake. As radish sandwiches are quite simple to make, all you really need to make a radish sandwich is radishes, bread, butter, and your choice of seasonings. In particular, herbs and seasonings like oregano, thyme, or basil seem to do a good job of bringing out radishes' natural flavor. But, you shouldn't pass up on classic salt and pepper either. While typically radishes are in season between March and May, advancements in agriculture mean that you should be able to find them year-round at your local grocery store.