Offering a peppery, satisfying crunch with every bite, radishes have a unique place in my heart.  Radishes come in many shapes, sizes and colors. Some are pink, dark grey, purple, two-tone green, white, yellow, creamy white. If you can believe it, the original radish was black! 

Radishes are a popular garden crop, and one of the first veggies you will see in your CSA box or the farmers market. When harvesting or buying red radishes, make sure they're not too large or they're apt to be hollow or pithy. The greens and the roots are used in cooking, especially with additions like spinach. Just wash them well and make sure they're not limp or yellow.

Before refrigerating radishes, wash, remove  greens from the top, and place in plastic baggies with a paper towel at the bottom. This optimizes moisture content from the rest of the radish and helps keep them fresh for about a week. Sliced, they make a zippy addition to sandwiches and salads. And roasted? Well, the roasted radish will always have a place at my table! 

Roasted Radishes with Chive Vinaigrette

Prep: 15 minutes
Roast: 30 minutes at 425 degrees F

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. radishes, trimmed scrubbed, and halved
3 Tbsp. olive, avocado or coconut oil
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh chives
1/2 tsp. Dijon-styled mustard
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. In a bowl toss radishes with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil. Place the radishes in a 15X10-inch baking pan. Roast, uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring once. 
For vinaigrette, in a screw-top jar combine the remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil and the remaining ingredients. Cover and shake well. Drizzle vinaigrette over radishes; toss to coat.
Make 6 servings.