Definitely a cut above the usual roasted potatoes! The unique thing about Greek Lemon Potatoes is that they are cooked in a heavily flavoured lemon garlic broth so they suck up all that flavour before roasting to golden perfection. They’re utterly addictive!
Greek Lemon Potatoes
Welcome back to the final instalment of GREEK WEEK!!! We started the week with Greek Chicken marinated in the most incredible yogurt marinade, served up a big pan of homemade Greek Baklava on Wednesday and we’re finishing up the week with the much anticipated Greek Lemon Potatoes!
We’re serving all these with a side of fresh Greek Salad and Tzatziki for dolloping (in the Greek Chicken recipe) – and see here for more Greek recipes.
Plate smashing is optional – but loads of garlic in everything is not!
Let’s be clear about one thing up front:
These are not your usual roasted potatoes
Don’t get me wrong. Throw spuds in the oven drizzled with oil, salt and pepper, and I’ll happily munch my way through them.
Make the effort to follow a few extra steps to make the crunchiest roast potatoes you’ve ever had, and it’s like all my Christmases have come at once. Thick, craggy crusts, perfectly seasoned, fluffy insides.
But these roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes….
These are unlike any other roasted potato I’ve ever had because they’re flavoured all the way through. Flavoured with all THIS ↓↓↓
How I cut potatoes for this recipe
We want chunky pieces for this recipe so they hold up to the relatively long cooking time. I cut medium potatoes into 3 pieces, as pictured below, and large potatoes into quarters or thick wedges.
HALF BRAISED, HALF ROASTED
The idea behind Greek Lemon Potatoes is that they are braised in a lemon-garlic flavoured broth so they suck up all that flavour, then you continue roasting them until the liquid evaporates, leaving behind just the oil to roast the potatoes until golden.
The concept sounds easy enough, but actually, it’s quite tricky to do in one pan. I swear, it’s scientifically impossible to roast potatoes until golden without the garlic burning. It’s one or the other – golden garlic or golden potatoes (unless, like I do with my Herb Roasted Potatoes, you add the garlic midway through cooking).
Also, I kept ending up with burnt ridges on the potato from the lemon juice and broth that caramelises on the base of the pan, and a disappointing lack of golden crusts promised by recipes I used.
After two, three, five, seven attempts, I threw every recipe I read out the window (virtually) and settled on an easier, less risky way of making Greek Lemon Potatoes so they come out as golden as possible: Braise in one pan to suck up flavour, transfer to a tray to bake until golden, drizzled with the flavoured oil from Pan 1.
How to make Greek Lemon Potatoes (my safer way)
You can skip the transference step if you want. But just be mindful that you’ll need to keep a super close eye on the potatoes and they won’t be as golden as you see in these photos, you’ll likely end up with thin dark burnt ridges and the garlic with burn (gee, I’m really making this sound appetising! 😂)
In the interest of total transparency …
Because I hate recipes that lie, I want to be 100% clear about expectations: these are not the crispiest roast potatoes in the world. I truly think it’s scientifically impossible to get seriously crispy roast potatoes once they’ve been submerged in all that lemon and broth (believe me, I tried my heart out!).
So if seriously crunchy potatoes is what you are after – and I’m talking seriously thick crunchy crust and they stay crisp for ages – use this recipe: Duck Fat Potatoes or Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes.
But these Greek Lemon Potatoes do have nice crispy edges and some crispy surfaces (see video and photos) and in any case, you won’t miss major crunch factor because these have so much more flavour than any other roasted potato.
It was actually scary how much of these I was able to consume in one sitting. I just couldn’t stop – they are so darn good!! – Nagi x
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Greek Lemon Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg / 2.5lb potatoes (Aus: Desiree, US: Yukon Gold, UK: Maris Piper) (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 5 garlic cloves , finely grated using microplane (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp salt (Note 4)
Garnish (optional)
- Lemon wedges, fresh oregano leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°Cfan).
- Cut potatoes: Peel potatoes and cut large ones into thick wedges – about 3cm / 1.2" thick – and medium ones into 3 (see photo in post).
- Coat potatoes: Place potatoes in a roasting pan with all the other ingredients. Toss well.
- Roast 45 minutes: Roast for 20 minutes. Turn potatoes, roast for a further 25 to 30 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed by potatoes/evaporated and you're left with mainly oil in the pan.
- To crisp the potatoes (optional): Transfer potatoes to a separate tray. (Note 3) Tilt the original roasting pan and scoop off as much of the oil as you can (some juices is ok), then drizzle over the potatoes.
- Roast 35 minutes: Transfer potatoes to oven and roast for 35 – 40 minutes, turning once or twice, until potatoes are golden and a bit crispy on the edges.
- Heat pan juices: Return pan #1 with the garlic juices to the oven for the last 5 – 10 minutes or so to reduce down and make the garlic golden. (Optional, Note 4)
- Plate up: Transfer potatoes to serving platter. Drizzle over the reduced garlic pan juices (or toss potatoes in the pan). Serve, garnished with lemon wedges and oregano if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
When Dozer stole a dog treat at the pet shop while I was trying to take cute photos of him eyeing off the treats…..
So yummy!
This is by far my fave potato recipe that I’ve ever tried from online or even from a cookbook/cooking show. Absolutely delicious. Do not skip the separate roasting at the end. It wouldn’t be the same without the crisp up. Thanks so much for sharing!
I have been making these potatoes for my family and work potlucks for 5+ years now and it is always raved about. Thank you Nagi for this wonderful recipe!
I made the potatoes, normally my husband and son leave potato on their plates. These were delicious and everyone ate all their portions. Non left, which was a shame because I would have eaten the left over potatoes😂. It does take time to make the dish but it was well worth it for the taste.
Thank you! This was my first attempt and they turned out amazing.
10/10, I also add 1 tsp of semolina flour which adds to the crispness.
Although this takes a long time to make, it’s well worth the wait. The flavour of zesty lemon, the crispy exterior, and soft centre were just perfect! We had zero leftovers! I will make these again and again!
Omg… I am sitting here eating the leftovers cold from the fridge for a midnight snack. They are still freakin’ awsome. I used what I had on hand which were smallish waxy red and white potatoes. I quartered them and left the skin on. Unbelievably good.
I lived in a small city about 10-12 years ago which had an authentic Greek restaurant. They had the best lemon roasted potatoes I’ve ever had. I tried multiple recipes through the years and none came even close to theirs in regards to taste and texture…until I found this one.
This recipe is pretty much identical to how I remember this restaurant’s potatoes and is my go-to when I make them. I added an extra step and soak the potatoes in cold water for 10 minutes for small batches and 30 for larger batches. After I strain them, I give them another rinse.
This recipe is perfect as is so the only “tweak” as far as ingredients go is I like marjoram, so I’ll do 50/50 oregano and marjoram.
For the chicken based liquid, I’ll use a chicken bone broth instead of chicken stock for extra flavor.
I’d give this recipe 100 stars if I could, I am so glad I found it and than you for posting it.
These were delish! Creamy and lemony flavour was amazing, crispy on the edges and soooo easy. Thanks Nagi!
I have been trying for years to find a recipe for lemon potatoes that tastes like the ones from my favorite Greek restaurant, and this is it! The amount of lemon is just perfect to give that hint of lemon without being overpowering. Thank you for a great recipe!
My Greek mom has been making Greek potatoes ever since I was 5 years old (probably sooner!). I was making them in my adult years too. We were taught by Mamma to put a little of this and a pinch of that but never knew exact amounts. When I googled it, I came across Nagi’s recipe and I knew it was THE ONE!! I followed the recipe to a tea and it was absolutely delicious 🤤!!! AMAZING 🤩!! My husband even went for seconds. He’s never done that. In fact they were never his favourite before. I even told my baby sister about them and she asked me to share it with her. Thank you 🙏
Rave reviews from every single person at our dinner party. These potatoes are king and I’m never allowed to make any other kind according to my daughter. I love the warning in step 5 – “you choose”… lol. I’ve done both ways and delicious either way.
The Greek potatoes were delish. First video of yours I watched. I have to catch up. Your recipes look good and the idea of the broth in the jar.Thank you.
These are the BEST potoes I have ever ever eaten
These may be a little bit of a faff but they taste AMAZING! We’ve cooked them a few times and the three of us fight over seconds.
Can the potatoes be done in a pot on the stove top in the first part and then transferred to a baking pan to finish? Mine never reduce.
Grrrreat recipe!
to make them crispy… when you transfer to a new cookie sheet, just toss potatoes with bit of oil before putting in a wide bowl, then sprinkle over some cornstatch with seasonings if you like. toss. sprinkle a bit more. toss. you dont need a thick coating, a dusting will do.
roast on new tray.
Best tastiest potatoes ever. Left in one metal tray from the start. Extra lemon juice as per someone elses suggestion. Gorgeous.