Market Meals: Toast topped with sautéed radish slices

Market Meals is a collaboration between Boulder Reporting Lab and the Boulder County Farmers Markets, featuring weekly seasonal recipes built around ingredients from local growers, ranchers and food producers. Find it in Nibbles every Tuesday and on Boulder Reporting Lab. Sign up to get Nibbles in your inbox.

As spring rolls around each year and the farmers market fills with early lettuce mix, greens, herbs and green garlic, everyone (including us) says: Make a salad. There must be other ways to enjoy the season’s fresh produce.

Naturally, we asked a local farmer who has little extra time to cook after a long day working outside. Josh Olsen, the farm manager at Aspen Moon Farm in Hygiene, suggested simple radish toast, an open-faced variation on a historic spring dish: radish sandwiches.

If you search online, you’ll find hundreds of variations on the spring radish sandwich. They are among the petite sandwiches traditionally served for British-style afternoon tea.

Josh Olsen’s main tip is to cook your radishes. You can expect spring radishes to be milder, but cooking transforms the bite into sweetness, he says. Olsen likes to top heavily buttered toast with sautéed radishes.

There are also various sizes, hues, flavors and varieties of radishes grown in Boulder County, such as Watermelon, Cherry Belle, French Breakfast and daikon.

Radishes can also be grilled or roasted with carrots, sweet potatoes and onions.

Radish Toast

5 or more radishes, depending on size
Slices of fresh sourdough or country loaf
Butter
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt (preferably flaky)
Freshly ground black pepper
Variations: cream cheese; chopped herbs; arugula; fresh lemon juice; anchovies; aioli; thin cucumber slices

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Remove greens and slice radishes very thinly. Add radish slices and sauté until they turn translucent or lightly golden. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice two thick slices of bread and toast. Spread butter thickly on bread and top with cooked radishes. Top with additional salt and pepper.