Sautéed Radishes with Butter and Chives

Hello friends! I feel like I’ve been gone forever.

I was in Chicago and St. Louis for a week, and I had a lovely time. I caught up with old friends, ate a lot of good food, and experienced tornado season in the Midwest. I then came back home and wrote a big, long post about my travels (complete with lots of pictures!) and somehow managed to delete the entire post. My dear friend ‘Auto-Save’ managed to save immediately after I deleted everything I’d written. Go figure.

So, you’re just going to have to trust that Chicago and St. Louis were fantastic. I just don’t have it in me to re-write the post.

But, now I’m back home in Portland. As great as it is to be home and sleeping in my own bed, I can’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed. There are emails to write, vegetables to plant, clothes to be washed.

And then the sun came out and wrecked all of my plans (in the best possible way)! I had every intention of accomplishing things, but all of those intentions went out the window the second the sun came out. I went to the farmer’s market, BBQed with friends, drank margaritas in the sunshine, and generally had a fabulous weekend.

I did manage to stop by the farmer’s market on Saturday morning. I had planned on only picking up a couple of things, but instead left with two giant bags of produce: radishes, asparagus, ramps, rhubarb, tomato plants, and more. I can’t get over how much I love spring in Oregon! I was so excited about my farmer’s market purchases that I promptly came home and made myself a delicious spring meal: tartines with ricotta and ramp and radish pesto (more on these in another post), and sautéed radishes with chives and butter. Nich works on Saturday evenings, so I poured myself a glass of French rose and dined alone in the backyard. It was absolutely perfect.

I feel almost silly posting the recipe, as it’s ridiculously simple. But I’m a new convert to cooked radishes and thought I might make a few converts out of y’all! I love radishes, but like most people, I grew up eating them raw. It wasn’t until somewhat recently that I realized that radishes are super delicious when cooked. I’m not sure how to explain the flavor of a cooked radish, it’s just a bit more mellow and sweet than a raw radish. Cooked radishes retain some of their radish-y bite, but the cooking calms them down a bit. (Also, most things taste better when sautéed in butter. It’s a fact.)

I could talk til I’m blue in the face, but really, you must try it for yourself. Just cook up some radishes with butter, and you’ll be happier for it. I promise.

SAUTEED RADISHES WITH BUTTER AND CHIVES

Ingredients:
1 bunch of radishes, washed and leaves removed (reserve leaves for another use)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon minced chives
Salt & pepper, to taste

Method:
Slice radishes into quarters (or sixths, if the radishes are large).

Heat butter in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted and beginning to brown, toss in the radishes. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground pepper, and give the radishes a stir.

Cook radishes, until golden brown and caramelized on the outside, about 8 minutes. (Stir occasionally, to ensure that all sides of the radishes are browned.) When the radishes are done, remove from heat and toss with the minced chives. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.

25 Responses

  1. Kirsten says:

    I’ve been wanting this since we discussed radishes on Saturday morning.

    Looks delicious and pretty. xoxo.

  2. Rebekah says:

    Hmm… I am with you here – never cooked them before. But this sounds good. Now I have to try it!

  3. Donna says:

    Stunning photo…stunning fare! I love radishes..and with the addition of chives this makes for a beautiful Paleo/Primal side dish …gluten-free and simply amazing paired with grilled fish or foul I imagine!..Thank you for sharing and am eagerly awaiting your radish/ramp offering! I love Oregon too and am a “displaced” native of Oregon living in France!

    • lindsay says:

      Thanks, Donna! I’m eager to post the ramp pesto tartines as well. They were SO delicious. As much as I love Oregon, I must say I’m envious that you live in France. :)

  4. I’m definitely making these! I don’t eat radishes enough in general, and this makes such a pretty plate! I went to the store for some paint (Spring always makes me ready for a little redecorating in my tiny space) and SOMEHOW two types of basil, rosemary, two thymes and a lavender plant made their way into my car too. Planting time in my window boxes! Gotta get some rural happening up in my urban! Can’t wait to hear about your growing things!

  5. Kim Bee says:

    I must give this a whirl. I grew up loving radishes. Us kids used to raid the garden while my dad was at work then blame rabbits for their disappearance. I’ve never tried cooking them up like this though. Very cool idea.

  6. Suzi says:

    This is so cool. I love radishes and even grow them in my garden but never ever thought to cook them. Funny. I bet they are really tasty this way. Definitely going to try this. Thanks!.

  7. Lana says:

    I am very intrigued by cooked radishes as I only had them raw, like you. I like them, but I can’t eat more than a couple. I think I am going to try them sauteed tonight (just bought a bunch on Saturday at the Farmers’ Market:)

    • lindsay says:

      Lana, I’m eager to hear how they turned out (and if you liked them). I’m definitely new to cooked radishes, but I really really like them!

  8. Michelle says:

    I started roasting radishes with chicken about a year ago… why have I not done this earlier! They are soooo good! Your pictures are gorgeous, makes me crave them!

  9. Sounds like you had fun and recharged your batteries…
    this dish sound interesting and have to say I never tried it! Great idea, and photos are amazing too!

  10. I have always been curious about sauteed radishes. This looks yummy.

  11. This dish sounds incredible. I love radishes! I have to try this.

  12. I love the taste of raw radishes but my tummy doesn’t like them very much. I get mad heartburn whenever I eat them. If the cooking mellows them down a bit, then I’ll give this recipe a try. Thank you for sharing it.

  13. Rosella Leis says:

    Congrats on having this interesting recipe featured on Foodbuzz!!! It has never occured to me to saute radishes! This sounds an looks delicious and wonderfully Spring. I will be eagerly watching for your ramp pesto tartines recipe as well. So glad I found your blog!

  14. Thanks for this. I was looking for some radish recipes!

  15. Shonagh says:

    I have never, ever thought about cooking radishes but I am going to try that, possibly tonight. Even better the radishes in my garden are starting to come up so I’ll have to try it again with radishes from the garden.

    I love how your weekend turned out pleasure-filled. That perfectly describes my experience in the early spring. Who can wash clothes when the farmers market and the sun beckons?

  16. Wow, Lindsay- I never thought of sauteeing radishes! They’re so good, but hardly anyone eats ’em up when I make the traditional “radish roses”… THIS, however, might work! Thanks for posting.
    Oh, and I just love your “rosemarried” site here- what a cute name. And great pics, etc. AND, you made Foodbuzz’s Top 9- way to go!

  17. Tiffany says:

    LOVELY! My friend made roasted radishes and I fell in love. These sauteed radishes look amazing!

  18. sarah says:

    Wasn’t the sun so fantastic?! I don’t think I entered my kitchen once.

    And I love these radishes! I made a similiar recipe last year and it was totally my gateway to cooked radishes. I picked up two big bunches at the market this week and this recipe is on my list to try!

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  21. Tara Noland says:

    That looks so good. I love radishes!! I just did a post myself on them. They are so good when they are not very spicy!! I have got to try them this way! Cheers, Tara

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