Woodsy, piney, earthy and, intriguingly, emanating scents of lemon and mint when fresh and at its most robust, rosemary is an herb able to speak in winter’s dulcet tones. You know it’s there, but once sublimated by heat, it calms and becomes a presence that’s subtle. But there, very much there.

I find it charming at this time of year, even though it’s not coming from our farms in bountiful bundles, but in wispy bouquets of six or seven short stems. Acknowledge: Rosemary in January is going to be used in different ways, not tucked by the fistful into nooks of roped and tied boneless leg of lamb or employed as a spear for kebabs that do extract a little flavor before those spikey leaves have burned to a coal-like crisp.

No, rosemary right now is best used to infuse a fat that can then help to spread its flavor. But rather than plant stems of rosemary in a jar of olive oil or chop its leaves and whip with butter, I thought about integrating it into a vinaigrette that then would be tossed with an ingredient most compatible with the herb.

The potato. Of course, once the notion of rosemary’d potatoes hit, mustard immediately followed. Potatoes, rosemary, mustard: a trio of ingredients forever harmonic.

I roasted small yellow potatoes brushed with olive oil and liberally sprinkled with coarse sea salt and ground black pepper. In the last minute of roasting, I splayed six stems of rosemary over the potatoes, to warm them slightly – not to crisp. Meanwhile, I whisked a few glugs of Dijon mustard with a single glug of white miso paste, a bit of fruity vinegar and enough extra-virgin olive oil to allow this vinaigrette to emulsify. After that minute of roasting, I stripped the needles of rosemary leaves from their stems, gave them a quick chop and added them to the mustard vinaigrette. Slice the potatoes, toss with the vinaigrette that’s now a mustard-rosemary vinaigrette and serve.

Hot potato salad – with rosemary. Great on its own, if you’re a person who likes a big bowl of something warming, comforting and delicious without fuss. I put mine in my new Mary Barringer pot (see photo above and Food & Pottery: Perfect Together as well) and ate in another kind of three-part harmony: Good food, good pots, both enjoyed by a happy human.

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If you’re thinking that a squeeze of fresh lemon juice wouldn’t be out of order in this dish, you are thinking very well. You could add some chopped olives, a couple spoonsful of snipped roasted red peppers or, if you’d like a heartier, meatier meal, shredded leftover lamb or chicken, or cubed ham, or slivered cured pork, such as prosciutto. Open a tin of the smoked fish of your choice and add that to the hot potato salad. Smoked mussels are particularly well-suited to this ensemble.

HOT POTATO SALAD

WITH ROSEMARY-MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

2 pounds of small yellow potatoes, cleaned but not peeled

Olive oil, for roasting the potatoes

Coarse sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the vinaigrette:

3 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 heaping tablespoon white miso paste

3 tablespoons very fruity vinegar

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (or more, if you want a dressing that’s more oily than mustardy)

6 or 7 stems fresh rosemary

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.

Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil and spray with olive oil. Scatter the potatoes on the pan, spray with a little more olive oil and then season with the sea salt and black pepper. Be generous about it. Place the sheet pan in the 400-degree oven and roast for about 12 to 14 minutes, then turn the pan and continue to roast until the potatoes are soft and easily speared with a skewer, about 8 minutes longer.

While the potatoes roast, make the vinaigrette by whisking together in a small bowl the mustard, miso paste and vinegar. When well combined, whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Set aside.

Soon as the potatoes are soft inside and the skins crispy, layer the rosemary stems atop and roast for 60 to 90 seconds more, just to warm the rosemary leaves. Roasting too long makes them brittle. Remove from the oven. Transfer the rosemary to a cutting board, strip the leaves from the stems and chop. Stir the chopped rosemary into the vinaigrette and let steep.

Cut the roasted potatoes in half or, for the larger ones, in thirds, and transfer to a lovely serving bowl. Pour the mustard-rosemary vinaigrette over the potatoes, toss well and let sit for 5 minutes or so, to allow the vinaigrette to seep into the potatoes. This can be eaten hot, warm or even room temp, but I think it’s best hot or warm. Serves 4 as a side dish (but if you and a VIP in your life prefer to make this dinner-for-two, we definitely can be friends.)