Give your everyday potatoes a tasty lift by roasting them with a whole lemon and your favourite herb.

These are not roast potatoes timidly spritzed with juice from an anaemic little wedge of lemon. Not by a long shot.

Instead, the potatoes are roasted with a whole lemon, roughly diced, skin and all. The magic happens in the heat of the oven, where the lemon juice steams the potatoes and infuses them with flavour before it evaporates away and the potatoes crisp up, locking the lemoniness safely inside. It’s not sharply citrusy, just a delicious, almost floral presence, bright and sunny.

Lots of herbs sit perfectly well with lemon. I've used rosemary in the recipe below, as an example, but use any herb that complements whatever you're using these potatoes as a side dish for or whatever's in season or close to hand. Thyme (especially the lemon variety, obviously), marjoram, oregano, sage and even mint all work beautifully.

Eat them hot from the oven, if you like, although you need to know that they’re very good at room temperature, too, as a twist on potato salad.

Roasted lemon potatoes

Serves 2.

2 potatoes (about 300g, ⅔ pound)
1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

Set your oven to 200°C (400°F).

Scrub the potatoes; don’t peel them. Cut each potato into eight segments, lengthways, then cut each wedge-shaped piece in half. Place in a shallow roasting tin.

Cut the lemon into roughly 1cm (½ inch) dice and add to the potatoes. Drizzle over the olive oil and add the rosemary and salt. Toss together with your hands, giving the lemon pieces a gentle squeeze as you do to coax out some of their juice.

Roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the potatoes are crisp and golden.