Patates Lemonates… Lemon Potatoes

Greek Lemon Potatoes fresh out of the oven…
I thought I might share my all-time favourite recipe for perfect Lemon Potatoes. This dish is simple to make and simply delicious! You can serve it as an accompaniment to a wide variety of meat or vegetable mains, or you can eat it on its own with a salad and a generous piece of real Greek feta cheese. And if you have some fresh crusty white bread handy you can use it to wipe up the excess lemon oil straight from the pan…

As for the potatoes, I use (and recommend you use) the Yukon Gold variety as their yellow flesh bakes in and absorbs the lemon juice and olive oil wonderfully well, and yet they retain a nice cruchiness around the edges. When I'm in Greece, I only use Arcadian potatoes. The oregano has to be Greek, and only the highest quality Greek extra virgin olive oil will do.

Now, follow my directions to the letter and you will enjoy a pan of perfect lemon potatoes!

Recipe:
2.5 lbs. (1 kg.) potatoes washed and peeled.
Juice from 2 lemons
1 tbsp. (15 ml.) finely shredded lemon rind
¾ cup (175 ml.) Greek extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon (15 ml.) dried wild Greek oregano
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. (190° C.)
2. Cut the potatoes into thin wedges, slightly bigger than fries but not too big as you want them to cook through and crisp slightly on the outside.
3. Spray or sprinkle some olive oil to coat the bottom and sides of a deep-walled medium sized baking pan (I prefer using a stone bakeware pan and would recommend it if you have one handy).
4. Spread the potato slices out evenly across the bottom of the pan and liberally sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper overtop.
5. Add enough water to the pan to almost but not quite cover the bottom layer of potatoes, then add the lemon juice and lemon rind and using your hands give the potatoes a good mixing in the pan to ensuring an even soaking and to help spread the salt, pepper and lemon zest.
6. Pour the rest of the olive oil overtop of the potatoes making sure to try and cover all of them, then sprinkle the oregano over everything and place the pan into the oven for approx. 50 minutes. When the potatoes are visibly crisping at the edges it is time to either remove the pan or turn the oven off. NOTE: make sure to give the potatoes a good mixing at the halfway mark, say after 25 minutes or so, to guarantee a thorough and even baking.

Makes 2-4 servings, depending on whether they will be served as a side or on their own.

These perfect lemon potatoes are sure to be a hit!