Hello! It's been a minute here! I am excited to be back with a wonderful new recipe, feeling refreshed after a little break traveling in France for 10 days with my husband. It felt so good to travel and experience different views after the past few years of feeling like all we needed to do was 'get through it'. I'm super grateful for our inherent human survival instincts, and also grateful for the opportunity to step back and survey just what those instincts ask of us, what gets lost in the process, and how to find ways to integrate it all a little more intentionally. I don't think I was fully able to appreciate the full effect of these new stresses we've all been under together and how it burrows itself into our cells and our souls. With the state of the world as it is, we have to find ways to live differently, and while so many of these required adaptations are outward facing (all the things we need to do day to day, like ride our bikes more, switch to eco-friendly products, reduce single use plastic, remember our masks and reusable bags when we leave the house etc.), I can't help but acknowledge all the ways we have to adapt internally in order to be able to still wake up and appreciate being here, on this planet, each and every day. Stepping away for more of a macro view has been eye opening for me, and upon my return, with much reflection, I'm only just beginning to piece together how I can translate this into something positive that I can continue to contribute to the world and to my community. It might just start here once again, doing what I love to do, sharing good food and trying to make it easy, tasty and beautiful to behold.
This recipe is so, so delicious. As I said in my Instagram post from a few weeks back, these potatoes and the method used to make them have all the hallmarks of my favourite way to cook. The recipe calls for a full 5 pound bag of potatoes, you can prepare and cook them with the skins on, and it cooks in one big pan the whole time. It's super easy on the brain, and all you need is a few hours, a little foil, and some fresh lemon juice, oregano, and a whole lot of olive oil!
Since it's been such a long time since I posted here, I debated whether to share this recipe over on the Flourist website, where the majority of my creative energy has been directed these past few years. I decided to rip the bandaid off of this old blog, since it's got so much great content here ~ that now spans 10 whole years! When I started sharing recipes back in 2012, I could never have imagined that after 10 years my life would have evolved the way it has. Blogging, the internet, small business, me, the world! So much has changed, but we are still here and I have nothing but gratitude for that.
Taking a little break from work and stripping away the layers that accumulated after our experience with small business ownership through the pandemic has been a revelation. I forgot what it felt like to just be me!
A few notes on this recipe: I am sure the oil could be reduced slightly if you prefer, though I have not tested it. Use bottled or fresh lemon juice, though fresh will always be a little better and more lively. You can roast the potatoes to your preference, depending whether you want a crispier end result or a softer one. I personally prefer them on the crispier side, but have also enjoyed softer Greek Potatoes in restaurants so feel free to enjoy them at the cooking stage you see fit! I'd love to hear if you make this recipe, let me know in the comments how they turn out! xx
Greek Lemon Potatoes
5# Yellow Potatoes, cut in thick wedges1 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh or bottled lemon juice
2 tbsp dry oregano
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp veggie bouillon paste
2.5 cups water
First, scrub the potatoes and gather up a large, deep roasting pan, the biggest you have. Heat the oven to 350 degrees while you prepare the potatoes. Slice the potatoes into wedges lengthwise, leaving the skins on. Add the potatoes to the pan and one by one, add the oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and water. Cover the pan completely with foil and put in the pre-heated oven. Roast at 350 degrees, covered, for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the foil and increase the heat to 400 degrees. Cook for 60 minutes. The final stage of cooking is to get the potatoes to the desire crispiness. Heat the oven to 425 and cook for a final 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and serve hot with tzatziki or plain yoghurt, with optional fresh lemon wedges.
The stages of cooking in this method allow for the potatoes to cook slowly, absorbing the flavours as they cook. I have tried a few methods and of all the ones I have tried, cooking the potatoes in these stages ensures they cook through with all the flavours without burning at any point. It's also nice to not have to fuss with pre-cooking or managing 2 pans. This recipe serves a crowd. Experiment with scaling it down by half, if you have a smaller pan, or just fewer mouths to feed. Leftovers are wonderful, and will keep for up to a week in the fridge.