It’s currently asparagus season in the UK, so there’s no better time to cook this vegetable. While boiling asparagus is the most common way to cook it, this can often result in it tasting bland or becoming overcooked. Asparagus should have a gentle crunch to them — they should not be mushy — and the way to achieve this is by roasting.

Roasted asparagus is the perfect springtime side dish, as part of your lunch or dinner. As a bonus, it’s simple to throw together while your main dish cooks on the hob. Oven-roasted asparagus cooks perfectly, so it has just the right amount of firmness and never comes out mushy.

Martha Stewart took to her website to share her roasted asparagus recipe, which is made better with one simple ingredient — Parmesan.

For the recipe, start by snapping off the tough ends of two bunches of asparagus and place the spears on a large baking tray. Choose plump-looking bunches for the best flavour.

Drizzle with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, toss to coat, then sprinkle with coarse salt, pepper, and a quarter cup of shredded Parmesan.

Roast for 15 minutes in a 230C/210C Fan/Gas Mark 8 oven until the cheese is melted and golden.

This recipe is deceptively simple, but the genius is in the heat. If you typically roast vegetables at a lower temperature, be sure to crank the oven to 230C.

The hot air of the oven and the hot metal of the pan will sear in the juiciness and bring out the sweetness of the stalks.

A sprinkle of Parmesan will give the dish more complexity than you might expect.

Another benefit of the high heat is that the finely grated Parmesan melts and cooks to a golden crisp.

Those crispy bits and the rich, cheesy-tasting fat that coats the asparagus “adds so much flavour with so little effort”.