Lemon Potatoes

A few years back I had the opportunity to visit a restaurant in Houston called Niko Niko's, a greek place. I knew it would be good, as when I went at 8pm, it was dark and the line was out the door. I finally got to sample some of the food, and it was really very good and well worth the wait. I went back a few times before I moved, and I got, what they called "oven potatoes". I couldn't quite identify all of their ingredients, but I knew it was cooked in Lemon juice. It seems so odd to do this, but the subtle flavors were fantastic! I tried to recreate them, much to no avail but I did get close and make quite a good side dish in my experiments.


First, take some medium Potatoes and slice them in half only. Boil them separately for 10 minutes. We're not going for soft, just starting the process. We'll be roasting these, and to get them roasted all the way through the tops would burn if you're not really careful. Preheat your oven to 425F

Next, take your Lemons, roll them on the counter to break up more juice, and squeeze them into a 9 X 13 pan.

Don't worry about the seeds, you won't be eating them, so just squeeze with all your might into the pan. Add in about 2 tbsp of Olive Oil, 2 tsp Salt and 2 cups of water to the pan.

Once that's done, remove your par-boiled Potatoes from their other pot and place them into the dish. It should barely cover the tops of the potatoes.

Pop these in the oven for 30 minutes, checking on them occasionally. As the water boils down the tops of the potatoes will be exposed towards the end of the cooking process, crisping the tops, but not burning them.

This is the basic recipie, I've found that a bit of Rosemary or Oregano will add more depth, but really it's up to the individual.


3-4 medium russet Potatoes peeled and cut in half lenghtwise
2 medium Lemons
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Olive Oil
2 cups Water
1/2 tsp Oregano (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F. Peel and cut Potatoes lengthwise in half. Par-boil Potatoes for 10 minutes. Juice lemons in 9 X 13 pan, add water, Olive Oil, Salt and Oregano. Add Potatoes to 9 X 13 pan. Place in oven for 30 minutes, checking occasionally. Check with a fork to ensure the Potatoes are tender. Once Potatoes are done, remove from the oven, and serve.

From the Horses Mouth, Part 2: Thanksgiving Holidays!

As we approach the holidays, we all have a lot to be thankful for, including horses. I mentioned to Matt what we were having for Thanksgiving and he had a few requests which we obliged. Although he's thankful for his daily ration of hay, grain and whatever else he lays his eyes on thats green, leafy and stationary, he likes an occasional peppermint, carrot, or in this case plate of various goodies he's never tried before.

Happy Holidays, enjoy!

Coconut Chicken El Diablo!

Once you finish making and eating this dish, I think you'll agree that the title of this dish needs more "!" in it. I was down in south Texas a few years back and I wanted something spicy. Living in a college town at the time, I had access to huge portions of food at very cheap prices but little of it had any spice. Mostly mass produced food on the cheap for starving college kids. I went to the local market and came upon some Chipotle chilies. Basically they're smoked Jalapeno peppers, and the kind I picked up had them packed in Adobo sauce, a red spice sauce.

Now racking my brain, what would go good with these en masse that I could make? I wasn't about to put an entire can of this stuff on a burger, I may have wanted spicy but I wasn't THAT far gone. I decided on Chicken!

I took a couple of Chicken breasts and cut them into 1 inch squares and browned them in a pan with a little non stick spray and added the Chipotle peppers. It was exceptionally hot, delicious, and almost unbearable after 5 pieces of Chicken. Chipotle is one of those peppers that builds the more you eat on an almost exponential scale. I needed something to tame the heat somewhat so I could still enjoy my dish. My next trip to the store I wandered a bit further up the ethnic isle and noticed Coconut Milk in the Asian spice area. I pondered for a few moments, and picked up a can.

From here, I browned the chicken on all sides in a pan, turned down the heat to very low, just barely a simmer and added the Coconut Milk in, scraped the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan, and let it bubble for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, I added in... the peppers.

Tiny peppers of delicious death!

I added in a bit of salt, and about 2 tsp of Sugar to help bring out the flavor of the Coconut Milk. I let this bubble away for another 5 minutes and turned off the heat. My eyes weren't completely watering at this point, so I knew I had curbed the heat in the peppers. I didn't break or chop open the peppers in the container this time. The first time I did, and I paid for it later.

This dish is mildly sweet, Coconutty, and quite warm. If you're looking for a night of hot food, this will definitely slake your need for it. I highly recommend a bowl of ice cream nearby to cool your tongue, or perhaps a beer to help tone down the heat as you eat this. While not as hot as say, a habanero pepper, these pack enough of a punch for just about anyone who likes heat. If you're feeling bold, eat one of the peppers, just be careful as all the ones I've ever eaten out of the can are concentrated with heat and seeds. They are quite tasty!

1 can Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
2-3 Chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch squares
1 can Coconut Milk
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Sugar

Brown cut Chicken on all sides on medium heat in a non stick, or non stick sprayed pan. Lower heat to lowest setting, add Coconut Milk and scrape all the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan, simmer 5 minutes. Add Chipotle peppers, Salt, and Sugar. Simmer another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve!