024Lemon roast potatoes

Method

Classic family Sunday roasting tin. A timeless side dish for Sunday roast meats, grilled seafood, or pan-fried halloumi.

You will need

• large metal roasting tin
• whisk
• measuring jug
• spatula

1. Preheat a conventional oven to 200°C (400°F). 10 min · 200°C / 400°F Ready when: oven fully preheated
2. Arrange the cut potato wedges in a single layer in a large metal roasting tin (about 35 x 25 cm). 5 min Ready when: potatoes fitted without excessive overlapping
3. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, half the oregano, mustard (if using), warm water, salt, and black pepper until cloudy and emulsified. 2 min Ready when: well-blended emulsified liquid
4. Pour the seasoned liquid all over the potatoes and toss gently with your hands to coat every wedge evenly. 1 min Ready when: potatoes thoroughly drenched with seasoning
5. Roast uncovered in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes, then turn the wedges over carefully with a spatula. 45 min · 200°C / 400°F Ready when: potatoes soft inside and liquid mostly absorbed
6. Return to the oven for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown, caramelized, and crisp, and only fragrant oil remains on the base of the tin. 20 min · 200°C / 400°F Ready when: golden blistered edges and tender centers
7. Sprinkle the remaining dried oregano over the hot potatoes straight from the oven and serve immediately. 2 min Ready when: fragrant herbal aroma

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Make ahead and storing

Can be peeled and left in cold water for a few hours; roast fresh for best texture.

Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days; re-crisp in a hot oven rather than a microwave.

Substitutions

• chicken stock for warm water or vegetable stock. Adds richer savoury depth when not preparing for a fasting day.
• omit entirely for mild yellow mustard. Purists often omit mustard, relying purely on lemon, garlic, and oregano.

Common mistakes

• Adding too much liquid to the roasting tin. The potatoes will boil into soft mush rather than braising down until they roast in the residual oil.
• Using a ceramic or glass baking dish. Metal roasting tins conduct heat much more effectively, which is vital for getting browned, crisp corners.

Regional variants

• With semolina: lightly dusted with coarse wheat semolina before roasting for extra crunch.
• Patates sto fourno me domata: baked with a touch of grated tomato or tomato paste alongside the lemon.

About the dish

Lemon roast potatoes are standard fare in Greek Sunday cooking, prepared either around a whole roast chicken or leg of lamb, or baked on their own wide roasting sheet. Unlike British roast potatoes which depend on dry fat for glass-like crackle, Greek patates lemonates rely on a seasoned broth of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dried oregano, and water or stock. As they bake, the potatoes absorb the sharp, aromatic liquid until meltingly tender inside, while their exposed edges brown and crisp in the rendered oil.

Found in all of Greece. Cooked for everyday, sunday lunch, easter, christmas.

Cousins elsewhere

• Patates antiniktes (Cypriot). Cracked young potatoes roasted with red wine and crushed coriander seeds.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

299 kcal · protein 4.3 g · fat 15.6 g (saturated 2.1 g) · carbohydrate 37.5 g (sugars 2 g) · fibre 4.8 g · sodium 596 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. The ubiquitous Greek family Sunday table tradition, balancing high acid with rich olive oil and wild mountain oregano..

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