Grilled Broccoli and Radish Salad with Garlicky Miso Dressing

If you, like me, find yourself cranking up the oven temperature whenever you roast broccoli to ensure the florets get as crispy as possible, it’s time to head outside to the grill. Grilling broccoli yields all the best parts about roasting — crunchy charred florets and tender stems — with the bonus of smoky flavor. Plus, you don’t have to worry about heating up the kitchen.

But broccoli isn’t the only veggie that stars in this salad. Grilling radishes mellows their spicy kick, draws out their natural juices, and gives them smoky char, yielding mildly sweet, bite-sized nuggets that pair perfectly with the crispy broccoli and savory dressing.

This grilling season has certainly been one of discovery. I’ve tossed just about every vegetable on the grill, played around with flatbread dough, and figured out a whole new way to test my grill for hot spots. But one of my most favorite (and valuable) learnings is that you can grill a whole head of garlic, similar to how you’d roast one.

To speed up the process (roasting a whole head of garlic can take close to an hour), I cut the head of garlic in half before drizzling with oil, seasoning with salt, wrapping in foil, and tossing onto the grill over indirect heat. In just over 30 minutes, you’ll unwrap the foil to reveal caramelized, buttery-soft garlic cloves — perfect for mashing into a salad dressing. Paired with umami-packed miso, toasted sesame oil, and a splash of maple syrup, this will likely be the best salad dressing you’ve made all year. In fact, the recipe yields a bit extra — perfect for tossing with leftover salad, or using on other grilled veggies or grilled chicken.

But whole grilled garlic goes far beyond dressing. Smear the cloves onto a grilled and oiled baguette for garlic bread (or the base of a bruschetta), smash into hummus, stir into mashed potatoes, or serve with cheese and crackers.

A note about the veggies: While you can grill either or both of the veggies in a grill basket or perforated grill pan, I had success placing them directly on the grill. To keep them from falling through the grates, slice the broccoli into long spears (this will also give you something to grasp with tongs as you flip), and keep the greens on the radishes. Some will burn and detach from the radishes, but the charred greens that do stay attached add delicious flavor to the salad.