Patates Riganates

Greece's incomparable roast potatoes: thick wedges roasted slowly in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and a great deal of oregano until the edges crisp and caramelise and the insides turn soft and tangy, drinking up the lemony juices

Origin: Greece

From the journey of Oregano.

Greek lemon potatoes are, to many who taste them, the finest roast potatoes in the world, and oregano is one of the reasons. Roasted in a bath of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and a generous hand of dried oregano, the wedges first braise and absorb the tangy, herby liquid, then crisp and brown as the liquid cooks away, ending up soft and lemony within and golden and caramelised without. They are the standard accompaniment to the Greek Sunday roast, cooked in the same tray as chicken or lamb, but they are good enough to eat entirely on their own. The oregano is not a garnish here but a defining flavour, as essential as the lemon.

Ingredients

Potatoes

  • 1.5 kg floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper), peeled and cut into thick wedges

Dressing

  • 3 tbsp dried Greek oregano (rigani)
  • 2 lemons, juiced (about 100ml)
  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 300 ml hot vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan / 400°F). Spread the potato wedges in a single layer in a roasting tin.
  2. Whisk together the oregano, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, and pour over the potatoes. Add the hot stock to the tin. Turn the potatoes to coat.
  3. Roast for 40 minutes, turning once, by which time the potatoes should be tender and much of the liquid absorbed.
  4. Increase the oven to 220°C (200°C fan / 425°F) and roast for a further 25 to 30 minutes, without turning, until the remaining liquid has cooked away and the wedges are deep golden and crisp at the edges.
  5. Scatter with a little more oregano and a final squeeze of lemon, and serve hot.

Notes

Floury potatoes give the fluffiest interior and crispest edge. Use a good, pungent dried Greek oregano. These are traditionally roasted in the same tin as a chicken or a leg of lamb, where they soak up the meat juices as well, but they are a glory in their own right. Any leftovers are excellent cold, dressed with a little more olive oil and oregano.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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