Dilled Radish and Carrot Salad

I bought the most beautiful bunch of radishes last week, on a whim. Surveying the wall of produce at my local Whole Foods (damn them and their beautiful vegetable arrangement), my eye skittered to a stop on those shiny little globes, remembering how years ago I’d had them as an appetizer with the most gorgeous salty butter. It had been at a steakhouse. When my NY Strip arrived, I didn’t want freshly ground pepper for the side of beef before me. I wanted more radishes.

So, the Whole Foods radishes came home with me. And sat in my produce drawer for 5 days, begging for a dreamy swirl of gourmet butter or maybe even a sideways glance.

By the time I found the radishes on day 6, I’d lost interest in making a fancy pants butter. I wanted to save butter for an occasion where it’s suited best – in cookies that will allow my behind to continue widening exponentially.

So, naturally, I decided to make a salad with them. As an apology to my behind.

The problem with radishes sometimes is their YOWZA bitterness, so I wanted to tone down their hot-diggity-dangity heat. A cool dill dressing was made to enrobe those radishes. The radishes were thinly sliced – paper thin, really – and tossed with equally thin slices of carrots.

I let the whole thing chill in the fridge, allowing the flavors to meet and greet, have a one night-stand, nojudgement, until it was time to eat this quirky concoction.

Those radishes had tamed themselves, leaving a salad that was a little bit sweet, a little bitter, crunchy, yet bathed in a creamy herbiness. I imagined eating it with grilled salmon, maybe even getting wild and crazy, using it as a topper for a fish taco or a beef burger.

Of course, I had no salmon, fish tacos, or beef burgers handy.

So I ate some more salad and then spent the day baking cookies.

Works for me.

Dilled Radish and Carrot Salad

3 cups radish, very thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, very thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons agave syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the dill, mayonnaise, vinegar, agave syrup, and salt. Add the radish and carrot sliced, tossing well to ensure even dressing coverage. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Serves 4-6