1.30.2009

YaYa's Potatoes

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Did You Know? In 1995 the potato was the first vegetable grown in outer space.

As you all know, my best friend, Brittany, comes from a large, Greek family. Picture "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and then you'll get a sense of what I'm talking about. There's no time to be shy around these people, as hugs and kisses are passed out like you were one of their own. Although we might give Britt a hard time about the resemblence her family has to the previously mentioned, none of us can complain when she's cooking us dinner.

I had never been a very adventurous eater as a kid, but growing up with Brittany definately improved my taste buds. I hated pretty much every vegetable, and had never experienced such a variety of flavor combinations until I started eating dinner at her house. One of our all time favorite meals comes from her YaYa, but lucky for me, Brittany has mastered the technique of recreating all of her grandmother's delicious recipes. Known as Avgolemono soup to most, and YaYa's soup to us, it blends lemon and orzo into a creamy egg-whipped broth. And although we could finish off an entire spaghetti pot between the two of us, it's these potatoes that really steal the show. Dotted with rich, caramelized onions, the potatoes are roasted in a lemon-spiked broth to a deep golden finish. You've never had roasted potatoes until you've had these. And if you don't have a Greek best friend now, I suggest you find one.



Potatoes & Onions

I know you'll all be wondering about that soup I mentioned, and I promise it will be posted in the future. Britt and I just moved back to school, so once we get nice and situated, we'll definately be cooking up a batch. Until then, here's the potatoes...

Lemon Roasted Potatoes


YaYa's Potatoes
2 pounds potatoes, peeled & cut into large chunks (I usually use Yukon Gold, but all I had was Idaho, so that's what was used here)
2 onions, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
2 lemons, zested & juiced
Dried Parsley
Sea salt & pepper
Paprika powder


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the cut up potatoes and onions in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (I forgot about the onions, which is why I added them after everything was mixed in the above picture). Set aside while you make the lemon dressing.

In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, zest, broth, oregano, garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil, in a slow steady stream. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and onions, and give everything a good toss.

Sprinkle with additional salt (for crunch), paprika (for color), and parsley (for presentation), and put into your preheated oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, give the potatoes a toss, then bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, tossing every 20 minutes or so.


Lemon Roasted Potatoes

35 comments:

  1. I was never a very adventurous eater as a child either, haha - thank goodness that changed!! :-)

    Lovely potatoes!!

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  2. I absolutely love roasted potatoes and these look wonderful. My mom was pretty much a meat and potatoes type of cook - very simple. So I never knew how good vegetables could taste until I started cooking on my own!

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  3. Elizabeth...I never ate anything when I was young either but potatos were always my fave! I was friends with a lot of Greeks in high school and me and their YaYa's were always tight! Great picture!

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  4. These look delicious. I bet they would go wonderfully with a roast chicken. Can't wait to read about the soup recipe!
    Phoo-D

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  5. love that first pic! stunning!
    we eat a lot of potatoes here, and a lot of caramelized onions too. I love this combo.

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  6. They look great! I hated veg when I was young too, still not a big fan.

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  7. Huh, I didn't know- about the space potato, that is. Verry interesting! And this dish looks verry tasty too. ;)

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  8. VeggieGirl: It's funny how we're both such healthy eaters now.

    Ashley: And cooking your own food always makes it taste better.

    Mila: Haha, YaYa's are the best.

    Phoo-D: That's exactly what they serve it with, roast chicken and avgolemono soup.

    Dawn: Thanks, you should definately put the two together if you make them a lot anyways. And don't forget the lemon!

    pigpigscorner: Reminds me of my sister; the veggie hating vegetarian.

    Hannah: Thanks, I love fun facts.

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  9. Stunning photos and amazing recipe.

    I used to hate eating healthy foods when I was little but now it's the total opposite!

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  10. These look delicious - I'm always looking for new ways to cook potatoes!

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  11. these look fabulous. i really enjoy visiting your site - great food, great recipes, great concept. i'm a dietitian and passion for nutrition, of course, so it's wonderful to stumble upon your blog. launched my own last week and would love for you to pop in some time!

    cheers,

    *heather*
    http://squirrelbread.wordpress.com

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  12. These potatoes are to die for. They look super fantastic!! I can't wait to see the soup! I want a Greek friend.

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  13. Wasn't it a dish of these very flavorful potato's that made John Corbett's character fall in love with the Greek Restaurant's food on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" ? I do believe it was, and thereafter true love!

    So, I will be eating these every day from now on, until John Corbett comes and whisks me away.

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  14. Tempting..Another great way to cook potatoes!!

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  15. Ive been craving something like this for a while now. So thankyou, thankyou, thankyou! This looks so yummy, I'll have to make it soon!

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  16. Your roasted potatoes look wonderful! My fiance is Norwegian, and I'm pretty sure he could live on potatoes exclusively if I let him (they serve them with EVERYTHING in Norway!)

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  17. MMmmmmm love the combo! If I hadn't just eaten a whole loaf of bread from the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes book (no exageration, it was that good), I'd be getting the zester out.

    Also I think I've mentioned this before, but I love that you preface your posts with a random fact.

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  18. Thanks Marc! Random facts are so fun to share, and I could definately go for some of that bread you mentioned.

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  19. Ooooh, I love these potatoes. A Greek restaurant I used to go to served these and I lovingly consumed each and every one of them every time. :-)

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  20. These looks so good! I was actually thinking to myself that I wanted to find a good recipe for roasted potatoes.

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  21. I go to a Greek restaurant that serves these. I order them all the time. yum! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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  22. I am learning to love vegetables. Try any recipe for roasted brussels sprouts (I always add a little garlic) and let them get almost burnt ont he outside. You will love them!

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  23. Oh man! And where might one find a Greek best friend?

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  24. You can't go wrong with an ingredient list like that. Yum!

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  25. This must be really delicious. Look at all of those ingredients for this potatoes, hmmm yum!
    Cheers,
    Elra

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  26. hi! great recipe.

    I am greek and this is one of my favorite dishes that my mother/aunt make when i visit greece.

    now, you have tickled my appetite and i need to make these tonight ;)

    P.S. in greek they are called "patates sto foorno" (potatoes in the oven)

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  27. I *heart* roasted potatoes, never thought to add paprika for presentation. It makes them look beautiful!

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  28. Oh,yay!!! I've yet to meet a potato I didn't love!!!! I'm greek potatoes, french potatoes, it doesn't matter. LOL!!
    ~ingrid

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  29. OMG! I made these after seeing them on Tastespotting and am going to feature them on my blog too! Moreover, I used the leftovers (I made a ton)in a fritatta the next morning. I LOVE these and they are in my permanent recipe collection.
    Ramona

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  30. I'm so glad you enjoyed them Ramoona! I'm making a batch myself right now...my sister asks me to make them for her pretty much every weekend.

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  31. I just made Ya Yas potatoes, OMG!!! We are not having dinner till 6 and I cant stop eating them. I love how the lemon dressing reduces to a syrup, the taste is out of this world. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. i look forward to trying others.

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  32. I lived in Greece for a year and fell in love with these potatoes. I haven't made them in ages but will soon. Thanks for a terrific post!

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  33. These look amazing and just the thing to bring to a dinner party on Saturday night. How many will this recipe serve? I need potatoes for 24!

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