The best Greek lemon potatoes have a crisp exterior, a creamy interior and are deeply flavored with lemon and oregano. At Psito, chunks of potatoes are simmered in a lemon and oregano poaching liquid until the potatoes are tender and completely infused with these traditional flavors. Then the potatoes are tossed in butter and lemon juice, roasted to a crisp finish and drizzled with roasted garlic vinaigrette before serving.
Those who love Greek food in a fast-casual setting have been flocking to Psito (pronounced “SEE-tow”) since it opened last year in Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood. Like all the food on Psito’s menu, this recipe is inspired by the Greek islands that are the ancestral home of Nick Pihakis, founder of the Pihakis Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Psito.
Psito has been such a colorful and delicious addition to our neighborhood. We love walking over for an order of pork souvlaki with a side of their amazing lemon potatoes. How do they achieve that combination of crunchy potatoes with all that lemon flavor?
— Carmen Crouch, Atlanta
David Atkinson, executive chef for Pihakis Restaurant Group, shared their recipe and sent along a few notes about why the Greek lemon potatoes are so appealing — plus tips for making the recipe as they do at Psito.
“This recipe is so addictive because the roasted exterior of the potatoes provides a little bit of crunch and helps them stay crisp when you add the roasted garlic vinaigrette. That vinaigrette is a delicious lemon and roasted garlic drizzle that is great as a dressing for the potatoes and can also be used as a marinade for proteins and vegetables,” he said. “You’ll want to make it again and again.”
“Start the recipe by preparing the roasted garlic vinaigrette first as the garlic needs to roast slowly to become soft and creamy. And if you need to save a little time, you can use prepeeled garlic.”
He added bottled lemon juice is another time saver that’s fine for the liquid used to poach the potatoes, but that the fresh lemon halves in the poaching liquid are essential. An optional step that makes it easy to discard the herbs is to tie the oregano, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf into a bundle with kitchen twine.
A side dish serving at Psito is 1 cup.
Psito’s Lemon Potatoes
- 2 lemons
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup fresh or bottled lemon juice
- ¼ cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 sprigs fresh oregano
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 pounds peel-on, washed Yukon gold potatoes (either baby potatoes or larger potatoes cut into 1½-inch cubes)
- ¼ cup salted butter (½ stick)
- Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette (see recipe)
- 1½ teaspoons roughly chopped fresh oregano leaves
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Cut 1 lemon in half. Zest and juice the second lemon.
- In a large Dutch oven or stock pot over high heat, combine water, ½ cup lemon juice, lemon halves, salt, oregano, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes. When mixture returns to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook potatoes until they can be pierced with a fork but do not fall apart, about 10 minutes.
- Drain potatoes into a colander and discard cooking liquid, lemon halves, oregano, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add zest and juice of second lemon. When mixture is hot, pour over potatoes and toss to coat potatoes evenly.
- Arrange potatoes on prepared sheet pan. Roast potatoes until they begin to brown and edges are crisp, about 15 minutes, turning occasionally with a spatula to brown evenly. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.
- Transfer potatoes to a serving platter or bowl and drizzle with ½ cup roasted garlic vinaigrette. Sprinkle with chopped oregano and serve with remaining vinaigrette on the side.
Makes a generous 6 cups.
Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
If any vinaigrette is left over after serving the potatoes, save it for dressing green salads, other roasted vegetables or use it as a marinade for chicken, pork or seafood.
- 20 cloves peeled garlic
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-by-9-inch baking dish with foil or parchment paper.
- Arrange garlic in prepared baking dish and drizzle with ½ cup oil.
- Cover dish tightly with foil and roast 1 hour or until garlic is very soft and almost creamy in texture. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to put garlic in jar of a blender, reserving oil in baking dish.
- Add lemon juice, oregano and salt. Process until mixture is pureed.
- With blender running on low, drizzle in the oil from the baking dish and the remaining ½ cup oil.
- Transfer the mixture to a jar and reserve until ready to use.
- May be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature and either return to blender to emulsify again, or shake vigorously, before using.
Makes generous 1¼ cups.
From the menu of … Psito, 25 Georgia Ave., Atlanta. 470-552-4167, eatpsito.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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