I finished hanging up my wet laundry on the clothesline and paused to take in one more moment of this idyllic scene around me before returning to my room. I was on the island of Crete during a Gloriae Dei Cantores choir tour staying at a conference center situated on rocky white cliffs overlooking the bluest water I’ve ever seen. This was, without a doubt one of the nicest accommodations of the trip where we were made to feel so welcomed and at home.
The clothesline we’d been encouraged to use for our handwash was outdoors in the backyard garden of the building. It was fastened to a sturdy lemon tree heavily laden with gorgeous fruit just like the lemon trees under which we had enjoyed our dinner the evening before.
I had grown up savoring the flavors of fresh lemon juice and zest in my food long before it had become as popular as it now is, but never until this moment had it occurred to me why Greeks love and use it as much as they do in their cooking. Now I could clearly see the reason why. These fresh lemon and oregano potatoes are a typical example of the many ways in which these ingredients are regularly used in Greek cooking.
SERVINGS6peopleCHANGE SERVING SIZEpeople |
COOK TIME20-30mins |
PREP TIME15mins |
READY IN35-45mins |
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- 6 tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1 large shallot chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 4 sprigs oregano leaves only (or 1 tbsp dried)
- 1/4 cup parsley fresh, plus 1 tbsp chopped for serving
- salt
- 3 lbs potato(es) russet, large, cleaned, each cut lengthwise into wedges
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Put the olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, oregano, and parsley in a food processor; to blend; season with salt and pepper.
- Toss potatoes with 1/2 cup of the prepared vinaigrette in a large bowl and spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Reserve the remaining vinaigrette.
- Roast potatoes until tender and golden brown, 20 – 30 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with some of the remaining vinaigrette. Season with salt and garnish with the chopped parsley. Serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.