Greek Lemon Potatoes

This is one of my favorite side dishes. I suffer from inflammation brought on by chemo a few years ago and when I was searching for healthy eating habits with anti inflammatory effects, I stubbled upon Mediterranean cuisine. It is filled with lots of garlic, lemons, oregano and fresh ingredients. For years, I thought oregano was just for Italian food and I thought it smelled not so fabulous. However something magical happens when you add it to garlic, lemons and olive oil. I now love it so much, I have fresh oregano on my patio and a large container of dried in my pantry.

There is something I feel the need to disclose when it comes to potatoes- I refuse to peel one. It is a lot of trouble, takes up valuable time and I just dislike everything about it. For that reason, I only use yellow or red potatoes. They have thin peels and work with just about any recipe. For this recipe, I like yellow, or Yukon golds.

I have one rule when it comes to lemons- use real lemons. Bottled lemon juice is not a thing. I don’t know what it is, but it is not lemon and it doesn’t even taste like lemon. Even if it says “real lemon juice”, don’t get it. Under no circumstances will a bottle of lemon juice ever make it into my house. There, I said it. Helpful hint: the real lemon flavor is in the zest. Anytime a recipe calls for lemons, I always add the zest, whether it calls for it or not. And always zest a lemon BEFORE you cut it- trust me on this one.

Since we are talking about rules, I have one more really big one- black pepper. Do not purchase that tin spice can of ground black pepper. Do not purchase any ground black pepper. Please, for all that is holy, purchase a pepper grinder. I have had several cheap ones and they never seem to last very long, so a few years ago I decided to purchase a really nice one. And after much research, I found the perfect pepper grinder. There is nothing in this world quite as wonderful as freshly ground black pepper. I grind pepper on everything. If you have never ground your own black pepper, this is going to change your life. It elevates simple things, like a boiled egg or a baked potato. And black peppercorns are fairly inexpensive. I have been eyeing the electric pepper grinders but I can’t decide on one. I may add that to my Christmas wish list.

I like to serve these potatoes with a fresh fish or greek chicken thighs. Today I made a batch to take to some dear friends that just had a baby and arrived home yesterday. I made Barefoot Contessa’s Lemon Chicken Breasts for the main course and threw in some roasted okra for good measure. New parents are usually exhausted and hungry, so a food delivery was in order- and the bonus was I got to cuddle Baby Mox. Precious!

Since this was a delivery to new parents, wine was not on the menu. However, at home I would pair this with Buttercream Chardonnay. It is exactly as it sounds- buttery. This is an oaked chard, full of freshness, with a hint of vanilla and it has a great price point. There is a great wine educator at Total Wine in Knoxville, TN and she recently turned me onto this bottle. She has never steered me wrong.

Greek Lemon Potatoes

• Servings: 4-6
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Ingredients

2.5 lbs potatoes (I use yellow or yukon golds) cut into large chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 2 lemons
1 tbsp oregano
1tsp salt
Lots of freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

Place the potatoes in a roasting pan and toss in the rest of the ingredients and cover with foil. Place in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. After an hour, remove foil and crank up the oven to 400 degrees for 30 minutes, tossing the potatoes occasionally.

Make this recipe your own. Bump up the amount of oregano or swap it for rosemary. Add some heat with red pepper flakes.