Tastes of Home: Greek Lemon Potatoes

By Eleni Valentis

Since coming to Florence, I have found the comfort of home in the kitchen. I love to cook and bake, and I do it every day. When I have the time, I make my much-loved lemon potatoes. Just a while ago in Florence, I made them for dinner with all my friends, and they always love them. They take about two and a half hours to make, so I do it on a day when I have a lot of time. I got the recipe from my yiayia, which is Greek for “grandma.”

The recipe starts with a trip to the grocery store. I make it by eye, so depending on how many potatoes I’m using, I adjust the amounts of each ingredient.

Steps:

1. The first step is peeling the skin off all the potatoes. This is usually the most time-consuming part, especially when I’m making it for a lot of people
2. After that, I put the potatoes in a large pot that can be placed on the stove
3. For a whole bag of potatoes, I add about five cloves of garlic, diced as small as possible
4. I then add enough chicken broth to cover the potatoes completely
5. Next, I add about half a cup of olive oil, along with salt, pepper, and oregano. I eyeball the salt and pepper, but I estimate about 2 teaspoons of salt and the same amount of pepper, plus a tablespoon of oregano
6. The most important part is squeezing the lemons. I use about 5 full lemons for a bag of potatoes because you want the flavor to be strong
7. I mix everything in the pot with my hands so the potatoes are fully coated with the ingredients
8. Then, I put the pot on the stove and cook it for around 30 minutes, or until the chicken broth has mostly disappeared
9. After that, I transfer the potatoes into an oven pan, trying to leave as little liquid behind as possible — just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. I bake the potatoes in the oven at 200°C (about 400°F)
10. I bake them on one side for about 20 minutes, then flip them and bake for another 20 minutes. If you’re making a large batch, they may not be crispy enough yet, so you might need to adjust the time, adding 10 more minutes on each side if needed
11. Finally, I take them out of the oven and let them cool. Then, they’re ready to eat. Ever since I started making these potatoes here, I’ve felt so at home, and I miss my grandma. I love that I can share this dish with my friends, and they enjoy it as much as I do.