The Absolute Best Greek Lemon Potatoes

updated Sep 6, 2022
Kitchn Love Letters
Greek Lemon Potatoes

These potatoes boast browned crispy edges and insides so moist they'll melt in your mouth. One surprising ingredient makes them the best you'll ever have.

Serves6

Prep10 minutes

Cook1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes

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Credit: Ivy Manning

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When I went to dinner parties (back when those were a thing), I was always hesitant to ask for the recipe of a dish I liked — especially if the host seemed reticent. I figured they’re busy hosting, they didn’t have it written down, or maybe the dish was a sworn secret. Such was the case when I first encountered the Greek lemon potatoes — the tender, golden potato wedges that turned me into a pushy, insistent bore until I got the recipe. 

Food writers don’t get as many dinner invitations as you’d think, so my husband and I were very grateful to be asked to dinner by our friends Dave and Robin. They were nervous to cook for me, but I was thrilled with the casual supper they made, full of sunny Mediterranean flavors reminiscent of their recent trip to Greece: Greek salad with sweet heirloom tomatoes, grilled chicken souvlaki, and a very memorable dish of roasted Greek lemon potatoes.  

The Flavors of Greek Potatoes

The garlicky potato wedges looked familiar enough. After all, I had enjoyed them with nearly every meal for an entire summer as an exchange student in Greece, and I’ve made them Stateside a million times. But just when I thought I knew Greek potatoes, I took a bite of these spuds.

They were tinged with browned crispy edges, and the insides were so moist they melted in my mouth. The usual flavors were there: garlic, oregano, and the buttery flavor of good olive oil, of course. But then there was a burst of tanginess. Lemony, but with another ingredient — something nuanced, something rich, something impossible to pin down. 

An Ordinary Dish That’s Extraordinary

I complimented my hosts on the whole meal — especially the potatoes. They looked at each other knowingly and smiled. When I was helping myself to seconds, and remarked again on how good they were, they nodded. “Is that saffron in there?” I guessed. They shook their heads and slyly directed the conversation to our mutual love of travel. After finishing thirds, I pressed them again, “Really, will you tell me what is in these potatoes? They’re amazing.” 

Credit: Ivy Manning
Greek Lemon Potatoes

After an awkward pause, Dave finally confessed that it was a guarded secret that took him 20 years to wrangle out of his Greek friend, a former restauranteur. “It’s mustard,” he said. “Not fancy mustard. Just plain old yellow mustard.” Ingredient snob that I am, I thought to myself: There is no way something so ordinary could make a dish so extraordinary. To satisfy my skepticism, I made the potatoes per his vague instructions the next night. They were a hit and I was humbled.

Dishes That Complement Greek Potatoes

Now I make these Greek lemon potatoes all the time. My family loves them, I always have the ingredients on hand, and they go well with everything from grilled chicken to poached salmon. They’re flexible, too. You can hold the baked dish at room temperature for a few hours and reheat them in the oven for 10 minutes right before the rest of dinner is ready. In the unlikely event there are leftovers, they’re awesome folded into omelets, stuffed into tortillas with beans and cheese, and eaten cold right out of the refrigerator at midnight.  

These Greek potatoes are the dish that taught me to drop my ingredient snobbery and to ask for recipes when I really enjoy a dish. It is a form flattery, after all. 

Greek Lemon Potatoes

These potatoes boast browned crispy edges and insides so moist they'll melt in your mouth. One surprising ingredient makes them the best you'll ever have.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes

Serves 6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray

  • 4 cloves

    garlic

  • 1/2 cup

    freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 1/3 cup

    olive oil, preferably Greek

  • 1/4 cup

    yellow mustard

  • 2 teaspoons

    dried oregano

  • 1 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 pounds

    Yukon Gold potatoes

  • 1/2 cup

    water

Instructions

  1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425ºF. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

  2. Coarsely chop 4 garlic cloves and place in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup yellow mustard, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper, and whisk to combine.

  3. Cut 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes into 1-inch thick wedges, add to the bowl, and toss to combine. Pour everything into the baking dish and spread into an even layer. Pour 1/2 cup water over the potatoes. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.

  4. Bake until the potatoes are fork tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until the liquid is evaporated and the potatoes begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.