An Inspired Cook

Several weeks ago a new Greek restaurant opened up near us. We don’t have a lot of Greek choices in our area on the west side. So, one day Kat came up for a sisters day and we had lunch at “The Great Greek”. We shared a Souvlaki Plate with lemon potatoes as our side. The entree was delicious but we kept going back to the lemon potatoes. They were thick cut sliced potatoes with grilled lemons and had a crisp texture. I was curious how to make them at home and found that traditional lemon potatoes are roasted in a seasoned lemon broth, sometimes 45 – 90 minutes or longer depending on the recipe. That wasn’t going to work for me, especially in the summer, it’s just too hot to turn on the oven. I decided to go a different route and made them on my Blackstone griddle. I marinated the potatoes in a lemon broth for several hours. They needed to be partially cooked so that they would crisp quickly on the hot griddle without burning. My solution was to microwave them in the broth which took about 12 minutes. I microwaved them in 3 minutes intervals stirring them after each interval. When they were fork tender, I strained the broth and placed the potatoes and lemon slices on the oiled hot griddle. I turned them often and in 20 – 25 minutes they were crisp and ready to serve. I had no idea if these would taste anything like the restaurant but they turned out fantastic. They were perfectly seasoned and drenched in roasted lemons; the texture was crisp on the outside while tender inside. Greek lemon potatoes are now possible in the summer without ever turning on the oven.

Getting started with the marinade, I added my broth and a drizzle of olive oil to a large glass bowl.

Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Smash 2 – 3 cloves of garlic with the flat side of a knife and add to the mix.

Add a teaspoon of Greek seasoning and stir it all together.

Add the sliced potatoes to the marinade and stir so that all slices are coated. Place a lid on top and marinate at least 4 hours. Stir the potatoes every hour so that the potatoes marinate evenly.

When you are ready to cook the potatoes, pour the potatoes, marinade and a thickly sliced lemon into a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave for 3 minutes. Remove and stir the potatoes and back into the microwave for another 3 minutes. Continue in 3 minute intervals stirring in between until the potatoes are fork tender. This took a total of 12 minutes for 1 pound of potatoes.

Heat the griddle to a temperature around 450 degrees. Add a neutral oil with a high smoke capability such as canola or grapeseed oil. Strain the broth from the potatoes, leaving the potatoes and lemon slices. When the griddle is hot add the potatoes and lemons on the griddle, separating them so that they will cook evenly. Sprinkle additional Greek seasoning over the potatoes.

Toss and turn the potatoes frequently over 20 – 25 minutes so that they will get that crisp texture over all sides. Towards the end of cook time remove the lemon slices as they begin to char.

Remove from the griddle onto a serving pan. If the lemons have any residual pulp, squeeze them over the potatoes for more grilled lemon flavor.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Greek Lemon Potatoes

1 pound Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 Lemon, cut into thick slices
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
Drizzle of Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Garlic Cloves, smashed with the flat side of a knife
1 teaspoon Greek Seasoning, recipe follows
Neutral Oil with high smoke capability for the griddle (I used Grapeseed Oil)
Dried Parsley, to garnish if desired

In a medium sized bowl with a lid, combine the broth, olive oil, lemon juice, smashed garlic, and Greek seasoning to make a marinade. Add the sliced potatoes to the marinade and stir so that all slices are coated. Place a lid on top and marinate at least 4 hours. Stir the potatoes every hour so that the potatoes marinate evenly.

Transfer the potatoes along with the marinade to a microwave safe dish. Add the thick sliced lemons and microwave on high in 3 minutes intervals, tossing and stirring the potatoes and lemon slices in between each microwave session. I microwaved the potatoes in the broth for a total of 12 minutes, however depending on the wattage of your microwave, you may want to check your potatoes after 9 minutes and test with a fork to see how tender they are. You will want them to be fork tender so that they will cook quickly on the griddle, be tender inside while crisping on the outside without burning.

Heat the griddle to a temperature around 450 degrees. Add a neutral oil with a high smoke capability such as canola or grapeseed oil. Strain the broth from the potatoes and lemon slices. When the griddle is hot add the potatoes and lemons onto the griddle, separating them so that they will cook evenly. Sprinkle additional Greek seasoning over the potatoes.

Toss and turn the potatoes frequently over 20 – 25 minutes so that they will get that crisp texture over all sides. Towards the end of cook time remove the lemon slices as they begin to char.

Remove from the griddle onto a serving pan. If the lemons have any residual pulp, squeeze them over the potatoes for more grilled lemon flavor. Sprinkle with dried parsley flakes and enjoy!

Greek Seasoning adapted from Penzey’s Greek Seasoning
2 teaspoons Sea Salt
2 teaspoons Oregano
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/8 teaspoon Lemon Powder (Order Orgfun Real Lemon Powder)
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Marjoram
Mix all ingredients together and store in a glass jar with a lid.