These Greek lemon potatoes are marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and oregano, then roasted and braised in the oven. The edges are a bit crispy, yet they have a soft texture and melt in your mouth. If you like these potatoes at restaurants, you'll love how easy they are to make at home!
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When I was in college, I lived within walking distance of a Greek restaurant with vegan options, as many Greek spots do. They were also open all night long, so they were a go-to spot for late night eats back when I had the ability to stay awake past 10pm. I'd always get the veggie combo that came with falafel, hummus, kalamata olives, and pita, as well as the lemon potatoes, or ellinikos lemoni patatas.
You can get lemon potatoes at any Greek restaurant, but sometimes they're cooked in chicken or lamb stock, so they're not always vegan. I crave these potatoes often, but never thought to make them at home. Turns out it's pretty darn easy, and the combination of garlic, lemon, and oregano makes your house fill with an absolutely amazing aroma.
The cooking process
Greek lemon potatoes are made with a two-part cooking process that gives them a texture somewhere in between roasted and boiled. They have a "skin" that snaps when you bite into them, but have the creaminess of a boiled potato. This is achieved with a combination of roasting and braising, which is roasting a protein or vegetable submerged in a broth or marinade.
When I was researching cooking methods for the potatoes, some recipes said to roast the potatoes on a tray, then transfer them to a different pan for the braising. Or they skipped the roasting step altogether. I decided the best and easiest way to cook them was to roast and braise them in the same pan. You won't have to transfer them partway through cooking, and there's only one pan to clean.
PSA: Use a metal pan, not glass
A 9x13-inch aluminum pan is perfect for this recipe because you can spread out the potatoes on the pan for roasting, then simply pour the marinade and broth in for the rest of the cooking time.
Don't use a glass pan for this. It may shatter when you pour in the liquid due to the temperature change.
If you don't have a metal 9x13-inch pan, you can roast the potatoes on a baking sheet, let them cool a bit, then transfer them to a 9x13-inch glass dish for the braising step.
How to prepare the potatoes
Start by peeling the potatoes, and slicing them into thick wedges. Place them in a bowl or dish for marinating.
The lemon, garlic, and oregano marinade
The marinade is basically 1 part lemon juice and 1 part olive oil with some crushed oregano (use Greek oregano or fresh oregano if you have it!) and minced garlic. Make sure to mince the garlic finely so that it sticks to the potatoes.
The recipe calls for ⅓ cup olive oil, which seems like a lot, but don't be tempted to use less. The olive oil coats the potatoes when they're roasting, and then gives them an incredibly tender texture when they're braising.
Pour the marinade over the potatoes and stir to coat completely. Let the potatoes marinate for 30 minutes.
Reserve the leftover marinade. You'll be mixing it with veggie broth for the braising step.
Remove the potatoes from the marinade with a slotted spoon and roast them for 25 minutes. Reserve the leftover marinade.
Since the potatoes will be coated in olive oil and will have absorbed some of the lemon juice they won't turn very golden or crispy. That's okay.
When you take the potatoes out of the oven, you'll mix the veggie broth into the marinade, pour it over the potatoes, and return them to the oven for 30 more minutes until fork tender.
You can slice some lemons to serve with the lemon potatoes.
Ta-da! Plate your finished Greek lemon potatoes, sprinkle a bit of coarse salt and oregano on top, and dig in!
Serving Suggestions
- Serve the potatoes alongside vegan gyros and Greek salad. Lazy Cat Kitchen has a great Jackfruit Gyros recipe.
- Eat them with my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad!
- Enjoy them alongside falafel and hummus.
Greek Lemon Potatoes
These Greek potatoes are marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and oregano, then roasted and braised in the oven. The edges are a bit crispy, yet they have a soft texture and melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
- 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegan chicken broth
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place the potato wedges in a bowl.
- Mix together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, oregano, and salt.
- Pour over the potatoes and marinate for 20-30 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Remove the potatoes from the marinade with a slotted spoon and place on a 9x13-inch metal baking pan (see note).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges start to crisp up, then remove from heat.
- Add the broth to the marinade and pour over the potatoes in the pan, stirring to coat.
- Bake for 30-35 more minutes, or until fork tender.
- Stir the potatoes and spoon the marinade over them partway through cooking.
- Serve right away with a squeeze of fresh lemon and sprinkle of salt.
Notes
- Make sure not to use a glass dish because there is a risk of the glass shattering when you pour the broth and marinade over the potatoes.
- If you don’t have a metal pan, you can bake the potatoes on a baking sheet, then transfer them to the glass dish before pouring the marinade and broth over them.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: ¼ recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 372Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 407mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 6gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on seitanbeatsyourmeat.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.
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