This salad with roast feta and new potatoes makes a meal of a melon; the lemon, honey and herbs bring out the flavour of even a lacklustre fruit.
You can use any melon you like for this salad, or a mixture; I love the contrast of bright pink watermelon, the peach of a cantaloupe and the off-white of a sweet piel de sapo. I buy good Greek or Italian oregano, which is much more fragrant, so get your hands on some if you can. Vegans can roast a drained tin of chickpeas or butterbeans with the potatoes instead of the feta, and leave out the honey.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/ gas 6. Chop any large potatoes in half and keep the smaller ones whole, then transfer to a large baking tray. Use a speed peeler to peel the zest from the lemon in long strips, then add to the tray.
Bash the head of garlic until the cloves are slightly split, then add to the tray with the olive oil and oregano. Season well, then roast for 20 minutes.
Peel and slice the melons into thin half-moons, removing the seeds as you go.
After the potatoes have had 20 minutes, take them out of the oven, then squash them down with a potato masher until broken apart and flattened. Break over the feta, then return the tray to the oven for a further 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp all over.
Remove from the oven, toss with the juice of half the lemon, then add the melon, basil and mint. Finish with a little honey, if you like, and a drizzle of olive oil.
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