This recipe for Greek Lemon Potatoes produces delicious roasted potatoes that make the perfect side dish for a variety of meals.
Of all the side dishes to go with our meals, this recipe for Greek Lemon Potatoes or Patates Lemonates has to be one of our most loved sides. Perfectly lemony and downright delicious, these roasted potatoes are perfect with just about anything.
This easy side dish recipe will become a go-to potato side dish to go along with roast chicken, souvlaki, meatballs (Greek Spanakopita Chicken Meatballs and Keftedakia – Greek Meatballs are among our favourites), and so much more!
This family recipe was taught to me by my mom and produces the most tender and delicious potatoes I have had. There are two variations for this recipe, which requires a small tweak in the amount of liquid used in the recipe.
If you want crispy potatoes, you use less liquid and if you want a more creamy/saucy potato, you use more. It’s as simple as that. Both of these styles of Greek Lemon Potatoes are served up in our home and you’ve likely had both styles in Greek restaurants as well.
Besides the delicious potatoes it produces, the best part of this recipe for Greek lemon potatoes is how simple it is to make. It includes simple ingredients you likely already have on hand. The process is pretty easy too!
It requires very little hands on time and then the oven does the work! You really can’t beat a delicious side that’s truly simple to do. Before you know it, you have perfect lemony potatoes that have perfect golden brown edges and creamy centers.
Ingredients in this Recipe for Greek Lemon Potatoes:
- Potatoes: Yukon Golds, Russet potatoes or similar are best potatoes for this recipe. The potatoes are cut into thick wedges but you can adjust this and cut them smaller (though you will need to decrease the cook time if you do).
- Garlic: minced. You can adjust how much you use to suit your own tastes or leave it out altogether if you like. If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can also use garlic powder instead.
- Seasoning: Oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. Dried herbs (i.e. dried oregano) is used in this recipe but if you have them, its also nice to serve these potatoes with some fresh herbs.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil.
- Lemon: the juice from a freshly squeezed lemon is used. Fresh lemon juice gives the best flavour so use fresh if you can. You will need about 1/3 of a cup of juice which is about the yield of a large lemon. For smaller lemons, you may need 2.
- Broth or water: The amount of liquid used in this recipe will depend on which style of potato you prefer to make. If you want your tender potatoes to have crispy edges, you will use less liquid (just 1/2 cup). If you want a saucier or creamier style potato, you will use about 2 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth. [Note: For crispy potatoes, I use either broth or water but when it comes to the creamier potatoes, broth is the way to go.]
Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Greek Lemon Potatoes (Patates Lemonates)
The process for making this recipe for Greek Lemon Potatoes is similar for both styles (crispy potatoes and creamy potatoes), except for the amount of liquid used in the recipe. I have outlined the steps below but included pictures of both of the methods so you can see the difference in liquid.
- Make potato wedges: Slice the potatoes into wedges and place them in a baking dish in a single layer. [Note: You can use a ceramic dish, metal baking pan or roasting pan, or any rimmed baking sheet for these potatoes. I typically use a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or similar.]
- Season: Season the potatoes with the minced garlic cloves, oregano, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Add olive oil and lemon: Add the olive oil and lemon juice to the baking pan and toss the potatoes to coat them evenly.
- Add broth: Add broth (or water) to the baking pan. For crispy potatoes, add 1/2 cup of water or broth and for creamy/saucy potatoes, add 2 cups broth.
- Roast: Roast in the oven for about 50-60 minutes or until the potatoes are golden on the outside and fork tender. [Note: Cook time will depend on the size of your potato wedges. Check on them at about 45 minutes and adjust the cook time as needed.]
Crispy Greek Lemon Potatoes:
This version of the recipe uses only a 1/2 cup of liquid (water or broth) to produce potatoes with crispier edges.
Creamier, Saucy Greek Lemon Potatoes:
This version of the recipe uses 2 cups of liquid (broth). This results in a creamier potato. Since these Greek roasted potatoes cook in more flavorful liquid, they have a creamier texture. The remaining liquid leaves a delicious lemon too.
What to serve with Greek potatoes
As mentioned earlier, this potato recipe is so versatile and goes with a wide variety of dishes. There are so many choices but I have included some of our recent favourites to serve these.
Some recent dishes we have had these potatoes with include roast lamb (these potatoes are always served for Easter with lamb!), Greek Spanakopita Chicken Meatballs, Pork Chops, Moussaka, Chicken Souvlaki and Pork Souvlaki as pictured in this post (recipe coming soon)!
Add a nice green salad or a Traditional Greek Salad and you have the perfect sides to go along with your meal! Oh, and don’t forget the Tzatziki Sauce!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
-Cathy
Looking for more Greek side dishes? Be sure to check out:
Horta Vrasta (Greek Boiled Leafy Greens)
Crispy Air Fryer Greek Potatoes (an AF potato dish that uses similar Greek herby and lemony flavours)
Zucchini Fritters- Greek Kolokithokeftedes
Yogurt Flatbread
Greek Lemon Potatoes (Patates Lemonates)
Ingredients
- 5 large potatoes Yukon Gold, Russet or similar, peeled
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon oregano dried
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 large lemon juiced (about 1/3 of a cup juice)
- 1/2 cup broth (chicken or vegetable) or water (For Saucier potatoes: use 2 cups of broth. I recommend broth for the saucier potato but you can use either broth or water for the crispy potatoes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Slice the potatoes into wedges and place them in a baking dish in a single layer.
- Season the potatoes with garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Add the olive oil and lemon juice to the baking pan and toss the potatoes to coat them evenly.
- Add broth (or water) to the baking pan. For crispy potatoes, add 1/2 cup of water or broth and for creamy/saucy potatoes, add 2 cups broth.
- Roast in the oven for about 50-60 minutes or until the potatoes are golden on the outside and fork tender. [Note: Cook time will depend on the size of your potato wedges. Check on them at about 45 minutes and adjust the cook time as needed.]
Notes
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
I love Greek food and I look forward to trying your recipes
Hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!