Sometimes, recipes in cookbooks don't have to be difficult or involved to bring a big flavor punch and new variety to your regular menu. This week's recipe review from Sarah Ballantyne's The Paleo Approach Cookbook is just one of those recipes. I've always limited radishes to salads and vegetable trays. Roasting them never crossed my mind, until now. Shame on me!
Because this recipe is so simple, I'm going to be very vague as Sarah has not posted her recipe online. I was extra excited about the recipe as it presented the perfect opportunity to try out the Tendergrass Farms Pastured Pork Leaf Lard I'd finally received after pre-ordering it a while back.
I started by washing and chopping the radishes. It made more sense to me to take the stems off before washing as they were really filthy.
And then I dug into the lard. The texture of this lard is super soft and creamy. The word luxurious comes to mind. The only other lard I've used is Fatworks Leaf Lard. The Tendergrass Farms version had a little more pork aroma than the Fatworks, but it wasn't off putting.
After adding some seasoning, I put the radishes in the oven on a foil lined baking sheet. Here are the finished roasted radishes.
Accessibility & Cost of Ingredients: The great thing about this recipe is that radishes are pretty inexpensive. The recipe gives a few suggested fat options. I decided to use leaf lard. Leaf lard as opposed to just lard has a more neutral flavor. When using animal fat, quality is important as an animal's toxins are stored in the fat. The Tendergrass Farms Leaf Lard I used comes from pastured raised animals.
Preparation & Cooking Time: Sarah's total stated preparation and cooking time for this recipe is 25-35 minutes. It took me closer to 45 but they could likely be prepped and cooked in 35-40. I left them in the oven a little longer to see if they'd brown.
Clean Up: Super easy! Everything I used went into the dishwasher.
The Paleo Review: Thumbs Up! I was a little disappointed that these really didn't brown up at all, but the picture in the book doesn't show them very brown either. As for flavor, I found them to be slightly sweet and only a little the typical peppery flavor of the radish. They were also surprisingly juicy. Yum. As for the lard, there really wasn't any pork flavor. What a simple idea that wouldn't have occurred to me but for Sarah's cookbook.
A few weeks ago, I went to local book signing to get my copy of The Paleo Approach Cookbook signed by Sarah herself. It was quite an event! Sarah gave a great talk about her adventures and misadventures in the kitchen and entertained questions for a few hours. Yes, hours. Amazing. After she signed my copy, I asked for a photo. I defy you to find a better picture of Sarah!
Not only is she a human encyclopedia of all things paleo/autoimmune, Sarah is an extremely gracious, kind and funny person.
Sources/Affiliate Disclosure- I received a review copy of The Paleo Approach Cookbook from its publisher; however, all of my opinions expressed here are my own. I purchased the Tendergrass Farms Leaf Lard myself. This post contains affiliate links for which the blog earns a small commission if you purchase items through those links.