Rapturous Radish Sandwiches

A few weeks ago I was making cucumber sandwiches for a potluck. I had a lot of radishes on hand and remembered hearing tell of radish sandwiches, so I thought I'd make some of those, too. I found this recipe, which was a good starting point for my own, more local version (see recipe below). They turned out to be delicious; I was delighted when, at the end of the potluck, there were still some radish sandwiches left for me to enjoy.

bread, sheep's cheese, and radish from Badseed; pea shoots from Brookside

I took my radish sandwiches to the next potluck I went to, hoping again that I would have left overs to enjoy for myself. Finally I realized I should just make my own radish sandwiches without feeling obligated to share. So for the last three days I've had radish sandwiches for lunch and I am still totally enraptured by them.

the mandoline is my friend

Speaking of rapture, I finally decided to blog about these divine sandwiches after Sergio came up with a clever name in honor of today being the supposed judgment day - "Rapturous Radish Sandwiches."

left behind

I think it's easy to bypass the radish as a thing you just put on a salad or some other sideline. But putting them on center stage like this enables you to appreciate their differences - each shade of pink, differing levels of spice, etc. For today's version I used some Cherry Belle radishes from our CSA and some ... I think they were Easter Egg radishes from Badseed. I also used plain sheep's cheese from Green Dirt Farm and incredible Sicilian bread from The New Traditionalist - the incredible new bread vendor at Badseed this year - which I was able to slice (Thanks, Wusthof!) relatively thin, to make for a more delicate sandwich.

tender pea shoot tendril

My pea shoots from the market two weeks ago are still holding up well and tasting wonderful. And the sesame seeds on top of the bread added another layer of flavor, distinct and delicious.

If today really is the end of the world, then I say - what a way to go.

"Rapturous Radish Sandwiches"

serves 2

- some radishes sliced super thin (How many radishes? 3? 6? I don't know - it totally depends on the radish. And you.)

- plain, soft, spreadable Green Dirt Farm sheep's cheese (although the nettle variety would probably be good, too)

- mayonnaise

- pea shoots (which are harder and harder to find the later we get into May, but you could also use arugula if you want to kick it up a notch)

- bread (a nice big loaf, sliced thinly, or I used Bread of Life Multigrain for my lunch on Thursday and Friday - a totally serviceable option for days that aren't special occasions like Judgment Day.)

Do you really need instructions for how to put together a sandwich? Surely not. I'll just say this. Don't skimp on the radishes. They are, after all, the main attraction. I do about 4 layers. Feel free to go crazy if you'd like. I do a good bunch of pea shoots, too, so the flavor really comes out. Um ... what else. I should mention that the sheep's cheese is easier to spread the closer it is to room temp. You can do all mayonnaise or all sheep's cheese - or one on each side of the bread. Be liberal with the cheese, too. Especially if it's the end of the world. What have you got to lose?

If I'm lucky, the world won't end today and you know what that means, right? Radish sandwiches for lunch tomorrow.