Before moving to Europe I lived in a little town called Williamsburg, Virginia. The Colonial district to be exact. If you lived on the East Coast (preferably the mid-Atlantic area) during your childhood, I bet you went there at least once on a field trip. And yes, I lived in a colonial house. Smack dab in the middle of the tourist area…I had no AC, woke up to the sound of the fife & drum and on occasion had strangers huddled up in groups with their hands cupped against my windows to see what museum my house was…only to realize it was actually someones house and not part of the tour.
It was an interesting year living there, it was one of the benefits of working for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. I ended up being a 5 minute walk from hotel kitchen I worked in…which was great for sleeping in till the very last minute but I also got called in for every pastry emergency that occurred (which usually was writing Happy Birthday in chocolate on a pop-up cake during dinner service for Chef Scott). I do have to give him credit though, after practicing he did finally get the hang of chocolate writing.
The biggest perk was that my entire back yard was a colonial era heirloom garden. Technically, you weren’t supposed to pick anything from it. The whole garden was for show for tourists. I only picked enough for my dinner….my favorites were the purple carrots and fava beans. I always felt like some sort of veggie-ninja, sneaking in at night and stealing produce.
The first time I pan roasted radishes, I stole them from this garden.
Unfortunately, these little red gems don’t have such an exciting back story. I found them at our local Farmer’s Market here in Germany. I guess the exciting part is that they were only 50 euro cents per bunch. Not a bad side dish (especially when I served them with a whole roasted goose!)
I actually serve mine with their greens, wilted last in the hot pan.
Most people don’t think much about radishes outside of perhaps a few slices in a salad. But radishes have a lot of great potential in a low-carb diet. Did you know that it takes 10 medium radishes to get a gram of carbohydrate? Radishes are a very good source of fiber. They are a very good source of vitamin C and contain smaller amounts of other vitamins and minerals.
Pan Roasted Radishes
Ingredients
- 2 cups radishes, quartered
- radish greens, cleaned & roughly chopped
- 4 slices of bacon
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Method:
- Heat a medium saute pan on medium-high heat and add bacon, cook until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the radishes and toss to coat.
- Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened and golden brown.
- Add greens and cook just until wilted, about 30 seconds.
- Remove from heat and add the lemon zest and herbs.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
The Primitive Palate 
Yum. Luckily I have radishes in the garden. This would be my lunch tomorrow. Thank you Sarah!
Ah, and btw I just found a whole picture album from Williamsburg, VA. Apparently in my youth I was one of those tourists..lol
That is so cool! I bet you walked past the house I lived in! What a small world!
Those look delicious! Love the colors in here. 🙂
It looks like a great recipe. Honestly, I didnt know radish are so low carb! 😀 Thanks! I’m gonna think of a similar mix, probably adding some eggs or meat and some cheese )
The radishes look lovely. I wonder about your knife though? Is it the Shun Utility knife? I am looking for new one’s and wonder how you like it.
It is! I love it! It’s great for chopping herbs and all kinds of veggies!
This looks wonderful. I just recently discovered roasted radishes and I wish I would’ve tried them earlier in life! I was wondering though what set of main dish this would accompany? Is there another recipe on your site you could suggest or just a general idea of a main dish? I truly appreciate any help.