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.