Nigel Slater's recipe for Jerusalem artichoke, smoked salmon and lemon

This is a rather festive light lunch dish garnished with smoked salmon. The sauce should be bright and citrusy.

Rub 400g of Jerusalem artichoke, being careful to get into the ridges and furrows. Cut each tuber in half lengthwise and place in a baking dish. Pour over 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt and black pepper and toss the artichokes to coat well.

Cut 1 lemon in half, add to pan without squeezing, then bake for 35 minutes at 200C/gas 6 until the artichokes are tender when pierced with a knife.

Tear or slice 200g of smoked salmon trimmings or pieces of smoked salmon into small pieces. Coarsely chop 10g of parsley and place in a bowl with 2 tsp of capers and a pinch of black pepper. Remove the roasted artichokes from the oven and make the sauce by mixing in 3 tablespoons of the roasted lemon juice from the can, then adding everything back to the can.

Stir to dissolve the crusty bits from the can into the sauce, then pour over the parsley and capers.

Stir in sauce, grilled artichokes and smoked salmon.

Use smoked salmon slices if you can find them – they're cheaper and have just as much flavor as thin slices.

If you can, tear it up instead of slicing the smoked salmon with a knife (no other reason looks better that way.)

Smoked mackerel, torn into large pieces, will work well as a substitute for smoked salmon.If artichokes aren't your thing, try a recipe with starchy potatoes instead. I think it's worth peeling it first.