Greek Lemon Potatoes (Authentic Recipe with Idaho® Potatoes)

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Edyta

Author at Eating European

Recipe developer, photographer and the writer behind the Eating European food blog of European and Mediterranean healthy and delicious recipes

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• Chicken Kiev (Classic Eastern European Recipe) - May 17, 2020
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This Greek Lemon Potatoes recipe is as authentic as it gets. For this recipe, I used the best Idaho® Potatoes roasted in a very flavorful liquid made from chicken broth, extra virgin olive oil, lemon, garlic, and dry oregano. This is the perfect side dish for the upcoming Easter holiday or even a quiet night of Greek food at home.

I partnered up with Idaho® Potatoes Commission to bring you this amazing Greek Lemon Potatoes recipe with the best Idaho® Potatoes.

Potatoes – The Staple in Most Homes Across Europe

This may sound crazy, but I grew up eating potatoes every single day! I suppose in the region I grew up in potatoes were as ever-present a starch as rice is to Asian countries. If we didn’t eat potatoes for dinner, we sure had them either for lunch or breakfast. And lest you think they’re mutually exclusive, potatoes could be served for every meal.

While I grew up in Poland, I’m certainly aware that this was the case in other European countries as well. Wherever I traveled, potatoes were ALWAYS served in some form. I could have Potato Pancakes in Germany, Potato Casserole in France, Parsley Potatoes in Hungary, or lemon roasted potatoes in Greece. My point is, … in Europe, we LOVE our potatoes.

Personally, I often reflect about coming from a “potato country”, which my husband always finds amusing. As such, working with potatoes and creating recipes that are reminiscent of my youth is like music to my ears.

Greek Lemon Potatoes – Perfect Side Dish for Easter (or any Holidays)

Greek Lemon Potatoes is one of those dishes that I always order in Greek restaurants. I have been to Greece many times and I’d never skip these Greek Potatoes. As a matter of fact, I tend to judge a restaurant by the quality of their Lemon Potatoes (my ultimate test). They need to be very flavorful, and soft on the inside with slightly crispy edges.

This recipe is one of the staples of Greek cuisine and they can be found on every table for both Holidays and inconsequential weekdays. But as I write this post, we are approaching Easter and this recipe would be for your Holiday table.

In Greece, you could have these Greek lemon roasted potatoes served as a side dish to a leg of lamb and tzatziki. In fact, I’m aware that a lot of American households also serve lamb for Easter dinner. So, if that’s you, then I really have a treat for you – …. these Greek Lemon Potatoes may outshine your lamb. Alternatively, if you’re a ‘spiral-ham-kinda-family’, guess what, these Greek potatoes will work well there too.

Idaho® Potatoes – a Perfect Match for Greek Lemon Potatoes

If you’re familiar with this blog, you’re already aware that I’m a big proponent of the mantra that great dishes are born from great ingredients. For this Greek Lemon Potatoes recipe, you will want to use the best russet Idaho® Potatoes. You need the potatoes with a high starch content that will also keep their shape. Although russet potatoes can be harvested in many states, you’ll find that the Idaho® Potatoes designation makes a world of difference. Idaho has the ideal growing conditions – like rich, volcanic soil, climate, and irrigation; so the quality of potatoes is indisputable.

In the last couple of decades, the potatoes have been giving a bad reputation of being bad for your diet, and I am happy to see that this school of thought is now totally debunked. Potatoes are actually super healthy. Idaho® Potatoes are not only delicious but also super nutritious. They’re fat-free, cholesterol-free, a good source of Vitamin B6, dietary fiber, Potassium, and Vitamin C. In fact, they have more Potassium then banana (which is super important for me, as we deal with high blood pressure in my family). If you want to see all the nutritional value of Idaho® Potatoes check it out here.

Also, if you find yourself with other questions about potatoes (e.g., how to store potatoes, how to minimize sprouting, etc) I found Dr. Potato very useful. You can ask him a question or search through hundreds of already answered questions about potatoes. Very useful!

For the above reasons, russet Idaho® Potatoes was an obvious choice for me to use in this fantastic Greek side dish. Obviously, the quality of the ingredients is always key to create an outstanding dish. Below, I will show you how to make this Greek roasted potatoes dish.

How to Make Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes

I’ve seen recipes where the author is determined to make these Greek style potatoes very crispy, but frankly, that’s not their nature. They’re cooked for a prolonged period of time in a liquid that is made from broth, olive oil, lemon juice, and aromatics and invariably they soak it all up. They will crisp up on the edges at the end of roasting, but that’s it.

In order to make Greek Lemon Potatoes you will need:

• Russet Idaho® Potatoes
• Chicken Broth; or Chicken Concentrate with Water, Or Vegetable Stock (for vegan version)
  • TIP: apparently using chicken concentrate, which has more profound flavor, is wildly utilized by restaurant chefs to add this unique “umami” flavor to the potatoes – so if you have it handy, then you can use it instead of broth;
• Olive Oil;
• Lemon Juice;
• Garlic;
• Dry Oregano;
• Salt;
• Semolina (that may come as a surprise, but it will add this little crispiness at the end, that you might crave from roasted potatoes)

Steps to make Greek Lemon Potatoes

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400F.

Step 2: Peel and cut your Idaho® Potatoes into halves or quarters. Place them into the “9X13” baking dish.

Step 3: Combine chicken broth, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Garlic, and Oregano (now would be the time to check for the saltiness of your liquid). Keep in mind, this is the liquid in which the potatoes will cook and they’ll soak in all these flavors, so it needs to be well seasoned. If you taste it and it is too bland, then add more salt. I can’t give you the exact salt measurements as different broths tend to have different saltiness levels (you just need to taste it) If you want to use a chicken concentrate, then add a little bit at a time to your water, until you reach the level of taste that you like.

Step 4: Add Semolina to the liquid, mix it well and then pour it over the potatoes. Cover the potatoes with the foil and roast for 40 minutes.

Step 5: Remove from the oven, take off the foil, mix the potatoes and put them back into the oven, uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the edges are slightly crispy.

Step 6: Remove from the oven, and let it cool off slightly before serving. You may garnish some parsley and some fresh lemon slices for an extra touch. Serve them on your Easter table and I swear they’ll have no competition!

For more recipes (there are A LOT of good ones), and all the tips, information, nutritional values visit the Idaho® Potatoes Commission website.

Here is your printable recipe:

Greek Lemon Potatoes (Authentic Recipe with Idaho® Potatoes)

This Greek Lemon Potatoes recipe uses the best russet Idaho® Potatoes that are roasted in a very flavorful liquid made from chicken broth, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic and dry oregano. This is a perfect side dish for the Easter holiday or even a quiet night of Greek food at home.

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: European, Greek, Mediterranean

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 372kcal

Author: Edyta

Ingredients

• 6-7 Russet Idaho® Potatoes medium size, peeled, cut lengthwise in halves or quarters
• 1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth see Recipe Tip below
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/3 cup Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
• 3 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon Dry Oregano
• 1 tablespoon Semolina
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400°F.
• Peel and cut your Idaho® Potatoes into halves or quarters. Place them into the "9X13" baking dish.
• Combine Chicken Broth, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Garlic, and Oregano (now would be the time to check for the saltiness of your liquid). Keep in mind, this is the liquid in which the potatoes will cook and they'll soak in all these flavors, so it needs to be well seasoned. If you taste it and it is too bland, then add more salt.
• Add Semolina to the liquid, mix it well and then pour it over the potatoes. Cover the potatoes with the foil and roast for 40 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, take off the foil, mix the potatoes and put them back into the oven, uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the edges are slightly crispy.
• Remove potatoes from the oven, and let them cool off slightly before serving. You may garnish some parsley and some fresh lemon slices for an extra touch. Serve them on your Easter table and I swear they'll have no competition!

Notes

Recipe Tip: For a vegan version, you can use vegetable stock. Or for a more intense flavor, you can use chicken concentrate dissolved in 1 ½ cup of water instead of chicken broth (add a little bit at the time until you reach the level of taste and saltiness that you like).

Nutrition

Calories: 372kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 228mg | Potassium: 1103mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2.5mg

Tried this recipe?Show me @eatingeuropean or tag #eatingeuropean!

Other Greek Recipes to try:

• Melitzanoslata – Greek Eggplant Dip
• Saganaki – Greek Fried Cheese
• Spanakorizo – Greek Spinach Rice
• Vegetarian Moussaka

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