Hello!

Just a quick recipe for roasted radishes and salad turnips. I had only eaten them raw until very recently and I like the change that roasting brings. I tossed mine with a simple barley salad but you could just serve these as a side dish on their own.

If you do serve these with the barley salad, I would suggest checking out our salad post here for some tips and tricks to building a salad. In that post, I described the elements I think are essential for a great salad, and they apply here too.

• Both raw (radish / salad turnip greens) and cooked (radishes / salad turnips ) textures
• Hits on most of the 5 basic flavors – bitter (radishes), sweet (sherry vinegar & honey dressing), sour (sherry vinegar and honey dressing), salty (Parmesan cheese), umami (Parmesan cheese)
• Ample amount of protein (not a lot in this salad but the cheese does offer some)
• Cohesive dressing (sherry vinegar & honey dressing)

Give this technique a try and let us know what you think!

Roasted Radish & Salad Turnips with Barley Salad
4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pearled barley, rinsed to remove excess starch
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3-4 large radishes, greens removed and reserved, stem end removed, and sliced in quarters
• 3-4 large salad turnips, greens removed and reserved, stem end removed, and sliced in quarters
• 1 teaspoon minced shallot (from about 1 small shallot)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Shaved Parmesan and thinly sliced reserved greens for serving

Directions:

• For the barley: Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. In a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid, bring 3 cups of water and a big pinch of salt to a boil. Add the rinsed barley and a drizzle of vegetable oil (to reduce foaming) and return to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and the water is absorbed, about 35-40 minutes. Spread out evenly on the rimmed baking sheet and allow to cool (this will ensure the grains don’t clump up and stick together).
• For the radishes and salad turnips: adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Toss prepared radishes and salad turnips with about 1-2 teaspoons vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on the rimmed baking sheet and roast on the middle rack until the first side in golden brown, about 15 minutes. Flip and roast on the other side until golden brown, about another 10 minutes. Test doneness with a paring knife and set aside.
• For salad: whisk together the shallots, honey, sherry vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss dressing with barley and roasted vegetables in large serving bowl. Top with thinly sliced greens and Parmesan and serve.