Great Greek Potatoes

These flavorful potatoes pop with a lemony zing and are much less greasy than the ones served in most Greek restaurants. Here are two methods. The first is for large quantities and is cooked on the grill and the second is for two and is cooked on a burner.

Grill or oven recipe

Yield. Serves 8
Preparation time. 15 minutes
Cooking time. 1 hour

Ingredients
5 pounds of firm boiling potatoes (read all about potatoes)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup lemon juice, or the juice of about 8 lemons
2 tablespoons dried oregano
4 cloves pressed garlic
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Optional. Add 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Optional. Amp up the flavor by substituting chicken stock for the water.

Method
1) Peel the potatoes and rinse them. Cut into wedges or chunks about the size of your thumb (2" x 1").

Blue or green garlic? Sometimes fresh garlic will turn blue when cooked in acids like lemon juice. If you notice blue flecks, don't worry, they will brown when the water evaporates and the flavor will not be altered.

2) Dump everything into a baking pan large enough so that the potatoes are not piled more than one layer deep. Don't use an aluminum pan because it can react with the acid in the lemon juice. A dark colored baking pan will brown the potatoes better than a stainless steel pan. The best pan is a gray non-stick baking pan, but any pan will work. Cover the potatoes with water. Pop it in a 500°F oven or on a hot direct heat grill. Don't cover the pan, but close the lid on the grill so it heats from all sides. Let 'er boil uncovered for about an hour or until all the liquid has evaporated.

3) When the water disappears, the heat will rise and the potatoes will begin to fry and brown on the bottom. Turn down the heat. Prevent the potatoes from burning and help them brown on all sides by rolling them around with a spatula. Scrape the bottom so they don't stick. Taste them and if they are undercooked, add another cup of water. Cooking time will depend on the size of the chunks. When all the liquid is gone, taste one to see if it is done.

Indoors. When they are the texture you like, and they are browned on at least one or two sides, turn on the broiler and place the pan 3-5 inches below it. Leave the oven door ajar. This cools the oven so the thermostat won't turn off the broiler. After about 5-10 minutes, the potatoes will brown on top. Scrape them into a serving bowl, garnish with the fresh parsley, and serve.

Optional. When there is still a bit of water left, add 3 tablespoons dried onion flakes. Don't add them too early or they will get gummy and blacken.

Stove top or side burner recipe

Yield: Serves 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients
1.5 pounds of firm boiling potatoes (read all about potatoes)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup bottled lemon juice, or the juice of 2 lemons
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 cloves pressed garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Optional. Add 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Method
1) Peel the potatoes and rinse them. Cut into wedges or chunks about the size of your thumb (2" x 1").

2) Dump everything into a single layer in a 12" nonstick frying pan. Cover the potatoes with water and submerge them by about 1/2". Turn the temp up to high and boil until all the water is gone. Poke one of the fatter wedges with a fork. It should slide in and out easily. If it does, you are done. If it doesn't, add another 1/2" of water and boil it off. When the water is gone, toss them around in the pan and brown them a bit. If you have fresh parsley, chop it fine and sprinkle it on and serve.

3) If you need to cook more than 2 servings, increase the recipe, double the time, and cook them in an oven at 500°F in an uncovered baking pan as above.

This page was revised 6/7/2007