Make A Faux Potato Salad With This Vibrant Vegetable Instead

For all of its abundantly satisfying flavors and nostalgic value, potato salad has one major flaw in certain cases: Its carb content. Potato — the star ingredient — is known for being a high-carb food, one that doesn't always align with specific diets, such as ketogenic and Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), for example. Hence, the creation of faux-tato salad — a dish that adorns the same dressing as the classic potato salad, but at its core, you won't find the familiar root vegetable anymore. Instead, there's a low-carb vegetable taking over the coveted spot. You may have heard of cauliflower potato salad before, but roasted radish is another phenomenal choice worth considering.

With a relatively similar soft yet sturdy texture, radish seamlessly fills up the potato's spot in the salad. And yet, flavor-wise, the two don't really taste the same. Whereas potato is mild and starchy, radish offers a unique vibrancy in its peppery, subtly spicy undertone — almost like a captivating pinch to the taste buds. It's this very difference that brings a surprising edge to your potato salad, remedying its repetitive taste profile without even trying. Once roasted, the radish mellows out into an earthy sweetness, speckled with delectably caramelized edges — a perfect base for the tangy-sweet mayo dressing. As a bonus, roasted radishes also come with juicy bites that deliver the flavor in a much more impactful way.

The light and flavorful side dish you can easily make

Cooking with radishes may seem daunting if you're unfamiliar, but roasting them is no different than any other veggies. Just slice them up and toss them in olive oil and your preferred seasonings. Salt and pepper or a squeeze of lemon always does the job, but something both sweet and tangy, like balsamic vinegar, will significantly boost the salad's flavor profile. Then, roast at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 20 minutes. As a matter of fact, they roast even faster than potatoes, so make sure to keep an eye out. Once they become fork-tender and slightly browned around the edges, that's when they're good to leave the oven.

With the radish roasted to perfection, you're all set to assemble a radish potato salad. As usual, you'll also need boiled eggs, celery, red onion, fresh herbs, and a mayo-based dressing. If you have a jar of pickled radishes readily available, pluck out a few pieces and throw them into the mix. Maybe add a spoonful of the pickle juice to the salad dressing. You'll be surprised by just how they intensify the salad's overall taste. While you're at it, you can also try adding Daikon white radish, which offers a lighter, fresher taste than the vibrant red variety we're familiar with. Let it sit in salt and drain out the water first, and then add it to your salad for pops of crispiness between each creamy bite.

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