Oven-roasted radishes

I'm going to suggest something that may seem strange: the next time you're deciding on a vegetable to roast to have as a side dish, choose the humble radish.

Maybe for you radishes are a raw-only vegetable.  I recently discovered how delicious they are roasted. Brief high roasting mellows their vibrant colour, tames their peppery bite and gives them a soft fuller flavour.

The green tops are edible, too, and highly nutritious. My green tops were looking a little sad so I skipped roasting them, but you can rinse and roast them on the same baking sheet. They amp up the colour and flavour.

Roast radishes alone or with a medley of other vegetables. Carrots would be good. Or use them as a salad topping. Or eat them right off the tray for an after school snack as my son and I did.

Oven-roasted radishes

This is a basic recipe. Feel free to personalize it with your preferred herbs and oil. Browned butter would be good or maybe some lemon zest. Adding a little honey might be interesting.

2 bunches radishes, fresh (not the ones in a sealed plastic bag)

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt, to taste

black pepper, to taste

chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

flaky sea salt, to finish

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

Rinse radishes.

Slice in half from stem to root. I leave a little of the stem and root on mine because I like how it looks but feel free to trim yours.

Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. I like to turn mine cut side down on the tray. I like how they caramelize that way.

Bake until radishes are tender and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley (or herb of your choice).

Season with flaky sea salt