Beth Dooley's pan roasted radishes: celebrity dish

​Beth Dooley is a food lovin' gal about town. The author of several cookbooks, including Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland --co-written with restaurateur Lucia Watson--her mastery of cooking with the freshest local ingredients, as well as her warm and rich writing style, are highlighted in both her blog, Seasonal Appetites, and her writing for Mpls./St. Paul Magazine.

Here Dooley takes radishes, an ingredient that sometimes feels limited in creative options, and makes a dish that is simple, fresh, and new.

The rose amidst the olives and a peppery taste of spring, the radish is too often prized more for looks than flavor. But these pretty garnet orbs, when roasted, become a much different vegetable, indeed. Buttery tender, with a slightly bitter edge, they're great alongside grilled chicken, tossed into pasta or spooned atop bruschetta, and even better picked with your fingers right out of the pan.

Pan Roasted Radishes

Serves 2 to 4 (easily doubled or tripled)

1 bunch of small radishes
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese, or more to taste

Sauté ingredients over medium-high heat until the garlic is soft and sweet and the radishes' skin becomes slightly translucent. Remove from heat and garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve hot or at room temperature; as an appetizer over bruschetta or as a side dish.