February 29, 2004
Chips de Radis Noir
[Black Radish Chips]
This week's Campanier selection included three black radishes, oblong and rather large. Black radish is another one of those forgotten vegetables, so I was quite happy for the chance to experiment with it.
Last time I had bought a black radish, I had used it raw in a yogurt-dressed salad, and had been rather unimpressed. I now realise, by comparison, that it wasn't at a peak of freshness then : it was much limper than the crisp and vigorous Campanier ones. But still, I wanted to try them in their cooked form this time. One of them I cut up in matchsticks and added to an Asian stir-fry, to very good results. And I decided to bake the two remaining ones : baking is my favorite cooking method for root vegetables, it brings out their sweetness in a delightful way.
These oven-baked black radish chips turned out really tasty : their natural pungency is toned down by the baking, yet the edge remains, and they proved quite addictive.
In slicing them up, I also discovered how beautiful this vegetable is, with the white on white sunray pattern on each slice. Afterwards, I thought it would have been even nicer to leave half of the peel on, in stripes, so that each of the slices would have dashes on the rim.
Chips de Radis Noir
- 2 large black radishes
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- salt, pepper
- piment d'espelette (optional, substitute red pepper flakes)
(Serves 4.)
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Grease a baking dish (unless it is non-stick).
Wash and scrub the radishes. Peel them with a vegetable peeler, leaving half of the peel in stripes if desired. Slice the radishes thinly - very thin slices will be more chip-like, slightly thicker slices will be moister - and put the slices in the baking dish.
Pour a little olive oil, a little vinegar, sprinkle salt, pepper and piment d'espelette. Toss with a wooden spoon to coat. Pour and sprinkle more if necessary, until all the slices look comfortably dressed - but not drenched.
Put in the oven to bake for about 40 minutes, until the chips are golden and their edges start to crisp up. Serve warm, as an appetizer or a side.
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Comments (10)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Recipe Inside! - Vegetables
Do you have a picture of a black radish? I would like to see; what one looks like.
Posted by Jacob Freedman on February 29, 2004 12:25 PMJacob - I didn't take a picture of the black radishes whole, as they are not the most photogenic vegetable, but I guess a good description would be to say that they looked like oversized black carrots...
Posted by clotilde on February 29, 2004 4:11 PMI've always been a fan of eating the really spicy German black radish sliced and raw with a dish of kosher salt to dip it in and a cold lager. It's perfect sports-watching couch potato food.
Posted by Barrett on March 2, 2004 3:24 AMBarrett - I *love* the idea of the couch potato eating black radish! :)
Posted by clotilde on March 3, 2004 11:32 AMClotilde, you might be interested in some chips I had in a brasserie near the pont de l'Alma not long ago: they were made with sweet potatoes. Very nice! It was the first place on the left coming away from the river on avenue Georges V.
Posted by Meg C. on March 3, 2004 6:52 PMI just bought one of these ugly suckers at my local Monoprix. I've probably overlooked them every other time, but since reading your piece on them, I had to take another look and plopped one in my panier. Radis noir ce soir !
Posted by Amy C. on March 4, 2004 4:18 PMMeg - Thanks for the tip! Sweet potato chips can also be bought from the ethnic grocery stores in the rue de Clignancourt, but I have to try and make my own!
Amy - Sooooo? Whaddidya think?
Posted by clotilde on March 5, 2004 10:20 AMWell, mine came out a bit soggy. I don't think I heeded your "comfortably dressed" advice very well. Perhaps I had too many slices piled on top of each other. They were tasty, but I would have rather preferred veritable crunchy chips. Must try again soon.
Posted by Amy C. on March 5, 2004 10:37 AMhello,
I just discovered your blog and I am so inspired! I spent 7 months in France as a student studying economics and this blog brings me back to the wonderful memories of French cuisine as well as sparking my imagination as I cook.
Our family hails from St. Petersburg, Russia and has always prepared Black Radishes grated and mixed with plenty of sauteed onions, salt, and a bit of mayo. Its delicious
Posted by Vera on April 7, 2006 6:43 PMWow!! Thanks for all the helpful tips on how to prepare these radises. I purchased some in a hurry from a local fruit and veggie market. Not paying attention to what I was grabbing I thought they were beets. Of course once I cut them open I was surprised to see they were a radish. I actually juiced one and added it to strawberries, mangos, bannana, lime, pear and pineapple. It was actually a very good smoothie. I will try all of the recipies posted. Thanks be happy amd eat good food.
Posted by Cookie on June 14, 2009 5:16 AM