Radishes are a vegetable that I find are too often ignored. Frequently brushed aside for their slightly ‘love-it-hate-it’ pepperiness, they truly come alive when roasted. Their skins shrivel and their insides sweeten. This recipe celebrates the whole of the radish, making use of the leaves too to create a chunky minty pesto. Jersey royals are the perfect match and are wonderful at this time of the year. You can serve this dish hot or cold and I like to enjoy it both as a side dish or a main course paired with a couple of soft boiled eggs.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 5-10 medium sized jersey royals
- 1 bunch mint
- For the radishes
- 2 bunch of radishes, washed, leaves separated.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp honey
- pesto
- 2 bunches radish leaves
- 1 small clove garlic crushed
- 70g pine nuts
- 1 bunch of mint (leaves and stems separated)
- 8 or more tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper
Method
1) Preheat oven to 180-200°. Line a baking tray with parchment paper
2) Halve any of the larger radishes and combine with rest of ingredients in a small bowl before placing them onto parchment lined tray and into the oven for 20 mins.
3) Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and place your washed jersey royals in along with the stems from your mint and a pinch of salt. (12-15 mins approx.)
4) For the pesto transfer all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse for a couple of minutes. I like a chunky pesto but you can add more olive oil if you wish.
5) Drain the potatoes and transfer them onto the chopping board. Slit them with a sharp knife and bash a little with a wooden spoon. Transfer into small bowl and pour in radishes and any juices. Add another two tablespoons of olive oil, a good pinch of salt and grind of pepper and just two teaspoons of the pesto. Give everything a gentle stir before arranging onto a plate.
6) Finish by spooning over the pesto lightly.
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@alexandradudley) and pre-order her cookbook,
Land & Sea, coming this July.