The beauty of a Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) program is investing directly in a local farmer and reducing the stamps in your dinner’s passport. The beast of a CSA is being bombarded with vegetables you don’t love or simply don’t know how to use. Radishes, for example, are a polarizing root vegetable that frequent Pittsburgh farmstands and farm shares. My dad would eat them like grapes as he worked the garden. I mostly tolerate them in a salad from time to time, while others avoid them with the disgust of a petulant child. The French, as the French are wont to do, eat their radishes with butter and salt. Let that principle guide your CSA resourcefulness this summer: butter, salt, and bread make almost everything better, even bitter radishes.

The second guiding principle is hiding the less-than-desirable vegetable in a familiar, comforting picnic staple like potato salad. Think potato salad with more colors. Think radishes with less bitterness. Think Old Bay seasoning and conjuring the feelings of a beach vacation. The radish starts to be more appealing, right?

Roasted Radish Side Salad

Ingredients

2 lbs. (4 bunches) radishes, ends trimmed and halved

2 shallots, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. avocado oil

2 tsp.Old Bay seasoning

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Dressing

⅓ cup mayonnaise

2tbsp. whole grain dijon mustard

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

Assembly

1 heart of celery (8 oz.), sliced

2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill

Sprigs of dill, to garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, toss the radishes, shallots, and garlic with the avocado oil. Season with the Old Bay, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly, then spread the mixture in an even layer on a sheet pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway through, until radishes are golden brown and tender. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl, and stir until combined. Transfer the cooled radish mixture to a bowl. Stir in the sliced celery and chopped dill. Add thedressing, and stir until evenly coated. Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill and enjoy.

Serves 4-6

Hungry for more? Check out these vegan salad recipes by Sara Ghedina: Curried Lentil Salad, Kale and Strawberry Salad, and Mango Panzanella Salad.

Have some extra zucchini, too? Make it a meal with these Bánh Mì-Inspired Grilled Zucchini Sandwiches.

STORY, PHOTOGRAPHY AND STYLING BY QUELCY KOGEL

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