Radish (etc) home fries
good with so many vegetables
This recipe is not so much a recipe as a reminder that something you can do with potatoes can also be good with other vegetables. The taste and texture might be different, depending on what vegetable you use, but being able to use the same basic technique to make a tasty vegetable side dish, depending on what you have on hand, is so convenient. If you make it with radishes, as in the glazed radish recipe, the radishes will lose most of their spice and become palatable to many people who do not like radishes.
This is good with turnips, with potatoes, with cauliflower, and with zucchini or other squash, even some of the winter squashes like butternut. You can, of course, use a mixture of these. I’m calling it “radish” home fries because radishes are probably the vegetable people least expect to be delicious in this, whereas zucchini probably sounds more normal.
The recipe easily doubles or halves, depending on how big a pan you have and how many people you need to feed. It becomes a full meal if you put some eggs on top of it or on the side, maybe with a slice of toast or a biscuit.
If made with radishes, turnips, cauliflower, or zucchini, it’s a “keto” recipe, but do not let that deter you.
Radish home fries
1 pound radishes, trimmed and diced
6 slices bacon, preferably thick-sliced bacon, diced, or a half-cup or so of diced ham
1/2 cup diced onion (more is fine, honestly, and I would usually rather use up a whole onion)
salt and pepper, maybe a little hot pepper like cayenne if you like that
adding a little diced bell or hot pepper is good if you’re making this with potatoes, zucchini, or cauliflower, but I prefer it without when I do it with radishes and turnips
If you don’t eat pork or meat at all or whatever, or if you’ve just run out, this still tastes very fine if you use butter (or probably olive oil, if you insist) and smoked paprika plus more salt. I do recommend mimicking the smokiness of bacon or ham by using smoked paprika instead of plain, but we all make do with what we have in the kitchen already and things generally turn out just fine.
Fry the bacon pieces in a skillet. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pieces to a plate as they get crisp.
Add the diced radishes (or other vegetable) to the hot bacon grease and toss to coat. Fry on medium heat about 10 minutes, until they are starting to get tender.
Add the diced onion, then season with salt and pepper, reducing the heat a little. Remember: alliums like onion and garlic burn fairly easily and once they burn, they usually turn bitter and not so tasty. Stir things around to get everything nice and seasoned and the onion in touch with the bacon grease. There is some salt in the bacon and bacon grease, so maybe start with a half-teaspoon or so of salt and then add more later if you like. Cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring sometimes. Do not let those onions burn!
Add the bacon pieces back into the skillet and stir it up. Put the whole mess on a plate lined with a brown paper bag (or a paper towel, if it’s all you have) and serve immediately.