Greek Lemon Potatoes Recipe (Patates Lemonates)

These are not roast potatoes with lemon on them. They are cooked by a different mechanism entirely: braised first and roasted second, in the same tin, without you doing anything in between.

You put the potatoes in a tin with a substantial amount of liquid, far more than looks right, and the oven does two jobs in sequence. For the first forty minutes the liquid simmers and steams the potatoes until they are soft the whole way through. Then it runs out, and the potatoes sit in the remaining oil and concentrated lemon and start to fry and colour.

That is why they take eighty minutes and why you should not be alarmed at the amount of liquid going in. Reduce it and they will roast before they have cooked through, which gives you hard middles.

Key preparation steps

1. Cut into thick wedges, not small pieces, so they survive the long cook.
2. Add enough liquid to come halfway up the potatoes.
3. Roast covered for the first stage, then uncovered to colour.
4. Finish under high heat and spoon the reduced glaze back over.

Which potatoes work best?

A floury or all-purpose variety, not a waxy one. Maris Piper, King Edward, Desiree or Yukon Gold all work well. The starch is what gives you the creamy interior and helps the surfaces catch and crisp.

Waxy salad potatoes hold their shape too well and stay dense and slightly rubbery through a long cook. They will not absorb the lemon in the same way either.

Cut them into large wedges, four to six per potato depending on size. Small pieces disintegrate over eighty minutes, and you want distinct wedges with a soft centre.

How much lemon, and does it need stock?

The juice of two large lemons for a kilo of potatoes, which sounds aggressive and reduces to something rounded and savoury rather than sharp. Add the squeezed halves to the tin as well: the oils in the peel are a big part of the flavour.

Stock is not strictly necessary, water works, but chicken or vegetable stock gives noticeably more depth. Use about 300 ml alongside the lemon juice and 100 ml of olive oil.

A teaspoon of Dijon mustard whisked into the liquid is not traditional but it helps the oil and lemon emulsify so the glaze clings rather than separating. I use it and would not apologise for it.

Why cover the tin first?

Covering with foil for the first forty minutes traps steam and drives the cooking into the potatoes evenly. This is the braising stage and it is what gets the middles properly soft.

Take the foil off for the second stage and the remaining liquid reduces fast, at which point the potatoes are sitting in hot oil and concentrated lemon. This is where the colour and the crisp edges come from.

If you roast uncovered from the start, the surfaces set and brown before the centres are done and you end up turning the oven down and waiting, which gives you neither good crust nor good texture.

Serving

These go with almost everything, and in Greece they arrive with roast chicken, roast lamb and grilled fish more or less by default. They are also very good on their own with a piece of feta crumbled over while they are still hot.

Do not drain them. The reduced glaze in the bottom of the tin is the best part, and it should be spooned over as you serve. Bread is required to deal with what is left in the tin.

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