So I’ve finally gotten my garden planned for the summer. I had initially wanted to build a raised-bed garden. The soil in Denver is laughably hard. Really, it’s like you have a cement yard. Not being interested in getting a rototiller when I’m just renting my house, I thought a raised bed was the best option. Then, when I was at Home Depot all set to buy the wood, I thought again and realized that I was doing the same thing – investing in the property. And if I decided to deconstruct the raised beds when we moved, then I’d have to replant grass where they were. My landlords aren’t interested in paying me to improve the value of the house and so I’m not going to do it. So, I decided to buy pots. That’s what I used to use back in Boston. I had to leave them all on the patio with my plants still in them when I moved – no room. So sad! I hope the new tenants there enjoyed all of my tomatoes! Though it was pretty late to start, I planted seeds in two egg carton pallets. Part of what I’m planting are a whole bunch of herbs in a goal to have a more complete herb garden. I hate buying herbs from the grocery store. I guess it’s okay for when you need a large amount for pesto or something, but for a recipe like this herbed steak, I don’t want to have to buy them. Having all sorts of herbs at your disposal will also make it easier to make a great last minute dinner.
I’m also growing radishes (my first seedlings to pop up!) and I’m super excited because these sautéed ones are a whole new way of eating them for me and they were super good. I kind of feel like radishes easily get relegated to garnish or filler status. But I’ve been eying lots of fun recipes with radishes in them since spring recipes started coming out this year. Sautéing and roasting are the two options that appealed the most to me, partly because it’s still not warm and summery out and I’m still easing into salad weather.
So this is a great spring dish, with seasonal vegetables and a fresh, light herb coating on grilled steak. I used oregano, thyme, and rosemary. I think some hot pepper flakes would be great, too. For the veggies, you could substitute another spring onion for the leeks – ramps or scallions. Shallots would work nicely. But obviously, use the radishes. Their color bleeds a bit, so I’m not sure seeking out Easter egg radishes or other varying colored ones would be really worth it. If you’re gonna try roasting them like I want to, then that’d be real pretty. The radish greens in the dish cook down so much that they don’t play a huge role, but they still provide a nice bitter greens bite.
herbed steaks
2 1-1/2 inch, 1/2 pound top sirloin steaks
1 teaspoon oregano (preferably fresh)
1 teaspoon rosemary (preferably fresh)
1 teaspoon thyme (preferably fresh)
fresh ground pepper and sea salt
olive oil
1. Sprinkle herbs, salt, and pepper all over steaks, pressing in to stick. Let sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
2. Heat grill on medium-high. Drizzle steaks with a bit of olive oil and grill for about 3-4 minutes per side. You can also do high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side for a crispier outside and a bit rarer inside. (I cooked mine a bit too long. Such a disappointment!)
3. Let steaks sit for about 5 minutes before cutting into them.
sautéed radishes
Note: both radishes and leeks tend to be very dirty. The best way to wash them is by placing them in a colander and then submerging the colander in a bowl of water. Agitate a bunch and the dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl.
If you’re working alone, I’d suggest doing the veggies first and covering until the steaks are cooked. It’s better to try to reheat veggies than steak.
1 bunch radishes, halved or quartered if large, leaves trimmed, thick stems discarded
2 leeks, light green and white parts quartered lengthwise then sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons butter or oil of your choice
sea salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley, chopped
Heat butter or oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high. Add radishes, radish greens, and leeks. Sauté for about 7-10 minutes, until radishes are fork tender. Season with salt and pepper. You can add more butter too… I like to do that. Sprinkle parsley on top.
Serve the steaks with a big heap of the radishes on the side. Yum! Anybody else planting a garden this spring? What are you planting?
the crankin' kitchen! 
I’ll definitely be trying the radishes like this. We grow them every year, but I’m not too crazy about them in their raw state.
Awesome, let me know how you like them!
Looks great Julie! Looking forward to trying this one. I also wanted to plant some vegetables and herbs so maybe you can come over and inspire me.
Thanks Rachel! I’d love to come over! I’m a pretty bad gardener, but we can see what we can do if we put our heads together. Maybe only kill half the plants :-\