Recipes – № 43
Radish Baguettes with Butter and Sea Salt
This is a recipe from Steven Satterfield’s fantastic new book Root to Leaf. I know, it sounds so Spartan – who in their right mind would want to eat radish sandwich? But the butter and sea salt in this recipe don’t just play the usual supporting role; they become lead actors opposite the radish. The result is a sandwich that’s as finessed and surprising as it is satisfying.
White bread, butter, salt… admittedly it’s not exactly health food. For me this recipe falls more in the “occasional treat” than the “everyday staple” category. If you’re like me, as you follow the recipe and load the baguette with restaurant quantities of butter, you might even feel there was a typo in the ingredients. But resist the urge to cut the butter: combining the refreshing and mildly spicy radishes with fat and salt is the point of this recipe. If it makes you feel better, think of the meat or cheese you’re NOT putting on that sandwich because of that butter and salt.
Serves 4
1 fresh baguette
2 bunches French breakfast radishes or other tender radishes
1 small handful of arugula
2 twigs tarragon
12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
2 tsp fleur de sel
Remove the butter from the fridge. Cut the greens off the radishes and reserve for another use (e.g. salads, sautéed greens, frittatas). Wash the radishes; trim the root ends and slice thinly, using a mandoline (3mm setting) or large knife. Slice the baguette in half lengthwise and cut across to make 4 sandwiches. Spread the butter on all eight sandwich halves and sprinkle evenly with the salt. Pile the radish slices onto the bottom halves, top with washed and dried arugula as well as tarragon leaves and press the halves together in your hands. Serve immediately as is or slice across into mini sandwiches to serve as hors d’oeuvres.
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