Radish Sandwiches

Recipe Author: Conne Ward Cameron

I’m going to start you off with what has been the most widely publicized Atlanta recipe for the past few months, the Radish Sandwiches with Butter and Salt from Steven Satterfield’s new cookbook, “From Root to Leaf.” They’ve been everywhere from the New York Times to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A reminder from a master chef of how simple things can be best. The recipe in the book calls for two bunches of radishes, but of course, you only received one. So make half the recipe, or run to your local farmers market tomorrow or over the weekend and pick up more.

Here’s what he says in the book about the recipe: “The French figured out a long time ago that the best way to cut the heat of a raw radish is to dip it into softened butter and sprinkle it with salt. They also take it one step further and put it on a baguette, turning it into a light lunch or a snack with wine. The trick is not to skimp on the radishes or the butter. Think of the radish as the meat and the butter as the mayo. If you’re feeling creative, whip the butter with fresh herbs like chives or tarragon. I like to pair this with chilled spring greens soup or wrap it in wax paper and take it on a picnic.”

Storing radishes: Go ahead and remove the greens and rinse the radishes. You can save the greens to add to a salad, or to make pesto. But if you leave them on the roots, they’ll sap some of the energy. Keep the roots in a plastic bag with some ventilation. They should hold up to a week.

Ingredients:

1 standard-size baguette 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt 2 bunches radishes, trimmed, washed, and thinly sliced 1 small handful arugula Pinch fresh garden herbs such as chives or tarragon

Preparation:

Storing radishes: Go ahead and remove the greens and rinse the radishes. You can save the greens to add to a salad, or to make pesto. But if you leave them on the roots, they’ll sap some of the energy. Keep the roots in a plastic bag with some ventilation. They should hold up to a week.