Radish Carpaccio with Mustard Seed Vinaigrette and Buttermilk Blue Cheese

Deliciously crunchy thin slices of colorful radishes topped with a tangy vinaigrette is a quick appetizer to serve your guests this fall. As a young child, my dad and I would stand by the sink in the kitchen with a bag of red radishes from the store. He would trim the ends off a plump one, rinse it under the faucet, sprinkle it with salt and we’d crunch away, often polishing off the entire bag together.

Today, I still love the kick of this root vegetable, but it is more than just a mid-day snack for me now. The little red globes found in every grocery store aren’t the only radish root available. Black radishes and Asian varieties can be harvested in early fall when the weather cools down. My local gourmet food store has been stocked with these lovely bunches! So, bare with me, friends, because I am on a radish kick and I have a feeling you’ll be seeing them pop up a lot around here!

Purple Daikon radishes add a lovely hue and spicy bite to my Kohlrabi Miso Ginger slaw.  Tonight, though, all of these radishes are starring in a pretty and oh-so-easy appetizer for entertaining with friends. 

Carpaccio is traditionally a preparation for meat or fish, but I’m applying that same thin sliced preparation to my radishes. I’m risking the well-being of my finger tips and pulling out my mandoline to slice these beauties. My mandoline has had its way with me before and gees, does it hurt!!!  Starting with the largest Black radish, I begin to place the slices one by one, admittedly spending way too much time making it look balanced against my white platter, the perfect canvas for these brilliant skins.  I’m mixing up an easy and bright mustard seed vinaigrette to drizzle on top. The classic combo of spicy radishes and tangy mustard is a popular pairing.

For creaminess, I am crumbling rich buttermilk blue cheese on top. This addition makes this one of my new favorite dishes.

Give your guests small cocktail forks and light crackers.

The perfect bite stacks those brilliant radishes with a crumble of blue.

This dish is a good reminder that delicious and stunning food can be incredibly simple.

Did you know that nibbling on radishes with salt is a traditional Bavarian snack paired with beer during Oktoberfest? Check out my Oktoberfest centerpieces and Sheet Pan Beer Brats for more Bavarian inspiration.