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…..
Cooked this with the slow cooker pork with honey n garlic and totally amazing. My son moved out and we keep in touch over the phone each night due to the current lockdowns etc. as he’s only early 20s and never lived alone before and your name comes up in all of our catch ups Nagi so it feels like you’re part of the family over here in the UK. He also did ask why I didn’t cook as good as I do when he lived with me (cheeky, but in fairness my cooking has improved since finding your website). Please keep doing what you’re doing. Also, big pat out to Dozer x
I love this recipe and cook it all the time….I’m wondering if I can make it up to the end of Step 4 and then keep in the fridge overnight. Then continue to re=heat/crisp up the next day?? Do you think that will work?
Hi Nagi, I have loved all of your recipes I’ve tried, and these are definitely my go to roast potato recipe!
I love your recipes because you always list weights where possible and it takes the guess work out of measurements.
I am wondering though, what a serving size weight is for these?
Thx!
Best baked potatos ever! I didn’t use lemon or garlic and still super good!
Thank you Nagi!
Hi Irina, the lemon and garlic are key to Greek Lemon potatoes – I’m still glad you still enjoyed them though! N x
Made these for my husband’s birthday along with the Greek chicken gyros. These were awesome on their own but adding them to the wraps made them over the top delicious!
YUM!!! Sounds fabulous Amy! N x
Will I ever find one of your recipes I don’t love… don’t think so!!
Made these tonight with your slow roasted lamb shoulder, the tabbouleh recipe from the falafel post and a Greek salad.
Girl, I can cook, but I find myself on your website most days finding new things to try because I know they are a guaranteed no fail delight!!
THANK YOU xx
This was amazing as are all of your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing. Your recipes are always a winner! Thank you to Dozer too!
I tried it and these were so good! Lemony but not overly so. Crispy outside and fluffy inside. This would be amazing with feta cheese on top. Thank you for another winning recipe.
Hi Nagi. I follow your blog and love your recipes. I made this following another recipe I found from an old Yia yia on YouTube. There was no garlic but there was heaps of lemon juice and oil (smallest liquid amount was the stock). Mine turned out deliciously fluffy on the inside and crunchy caramelised corners on the outside. Perhaps you should play around with the ratios more as adding more acid would make them crispier and increasing the fat content would also make them crispier. The flavour comes from the lemons, oregano (must be Greek oregano!) and Chicken broth. There is no need for garlic as it is already in the broth. Cheers
Hi Nolsie, I tested this recipe and trialled many, MANY different versions – this in my opinion is the BEST way to make them 🙂 N x
Nagi ive got to tell you, you are a goddess! Literally every one of your recipes is a 100% bang on winner! My best friend and I (both epic foodies) discovered your blog independently and now nearly every conversation we have has a “oh my god Nagi!!!” component. We love you and everything you do!!!!! Thankyou for organising and sharing your incredible skills with the rest of the world. You are making it a better place.
P.s these potatoes are the BEST! Ive been using powdered vegita stock in place of the liquid and getting gorgeous results. Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!!!!! Never stop 🙂
Made these for dinner last night, they were a hit. Delicious!
Hi Nagi: I’m making these tonight for about the 6th time! I often make them along with your Greek lemon rice, as I Love the potato and rice together at Greek restaurants. Grab the Tzaziki!
I saw this recipe today and made it tonight. Delicious! You don’t want to stop eating the potatoes. Such a wonderful taste. These potatoes will accompany any meat, fish or chicken. People will rave when you serve them!
Hi Nagi, I am currently camping and do not have a roasting pan therefore I am planning to use a disposable foil tray. Do you think the potatoes will stick to the foil tray? Should I line with baking paper perhaps?
Forgive me Nagi, for I have committed a covid sin: I used waxy potatoes because I had them on hand! Actually, it was all fine and good, my husband loved them. Thanks!
Could just use whole garlic pretty much avoids it burning
Another delicious dish that we have just tried and LOVED! I’ve never had potatoes so crispy!
Didn’t have fresh garlic but we did have the garlic paste and it was still yum. Will def try with fresh cloves soon.
To avoid burnt garlic, try using garlic powder mixed in with the chicken stock. You’ll still end up with a yummy garlic flavour.
Hi Linda, you really need the fresh garlic here. It wont burn as it’s sitting in the liquids 🙂 N x
I love this recipe! Question: I am having 15 people for dinner. Can I make this recipe in the morning and warm it up before dinner or will it not be as good? Thanks.
I don’t have a roast pan so I just threw everything in a pot and I’m boiling the potatoes for about 20 mins, can I transfer the potatoes to the oven and bake them with the olive oil juice to finish cooking them?
Delicious! I will definitely make this again! The only thing I did differently was I used 1 tsp. Of garlic powder, and 1 tsp. Garlic salt instead of salt. They didn’t really brown but the were still really good.
Hi Cheri, they are much better fresh but if you want to make ahead, I would reheat in a hot oven for 10 minutes to help them crispy up – reserve the pan juices and toss after reheating. N x
Thank you for yet another outstanding recipe!! Thank you for take time for details instructions.