Lemonates Patates (Lemon Potatoes)

I have a bucket list. It's extremely long. I can think of fewer places that I don't want to visit, than ones that I do. High on that list is Greece. Stark white houses on a hilly landscape against a brilliant blue ocean backdrop. Or the colorful homes jammed into a rocky outcropping. And the food. OOOOHHHHH, THE FOOD!



Well, until I can physically set foot on one its numerous islands, I will have to live vicariously through photographs, books, and best of all food and cookbooks.



Today, the tour stops here on a virtual trip to Greece with Debbie Matenopoulos, via her recently released cookbook, It's All Greek to Me. If you're like me, you'll probably recognize Debbie from shows like The View, The Insider, and Entertainment Tonight (or one of her many others), but what I didn't know was that she comes from a Greek family that instilled in her "a passion for bringing friends, family, and even strangers together over the dinner table for meals made with love". Otherwise termed "philoxenia".



Wikipedia defines Philoxenia or Xenia (Greek: ξενία, xenía, trans. "guest-friendship") as the ancient Greek concept of hospitality. It's the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship. That's a concept that I can relate to.

Debbie displays this concept throughout It's All Greek to Me by sharing her family's stories, recipes, and traditions. The photos are mouthwatering, and I can't complain - though I would have loved more of Greece itself thrown in for good measure. Each recipe has a small intro describing the food, and sometimes why it's special to her. But I recommend reading both Debbie's introduction and This is Greece! by Peter Capozzi before you even begin paging through the book, as they give you an introduction and put you in the Greek state-of-mind. I find that I enjoy a cookbook more if the author starts with a little piece of themselves and the origins of it all.



I chose a simple recipe from the book to share - Lemon Potatoes. Debbie says that in her house, her mom would put a full baking dish into the oven, but it would come out half empty due to the filching fingers of her brother, sister, and herself. How could I resist when my oldest is a potato-lover to end all potato-lovers!? She was right. They're bold and tangy and flavorful - and utterly impossible to resist.


Lemonates Patates (Lemon Potatoes)

Tangy and tender, these Lemon Potatoes make a wonderful side dish - IF they all make it to the table!

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Keywords: bake side dairy-free nut-free soy-free sugar-free vegan lemons mustard potatoes Greek

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, scrubbed


• 1 teaspoon sea salt


• 1/2 cup olive oil


• 1/2 cup warm water


• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon (2-3 tablespoons)


• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard


• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Cut the potatoes into 6-8 wedges lengthwise. You can peel them first if you want, but I prefer just to scrub them and leave the thin peels on. Place them into a 13"x9" baking dish and sprinkle with the salt.

Whisk the olive oil, water, lemon juice, and mustard together; pour over the potatoes. Use your hands to toss everything around. Grind some black pepper over the top (about 1/2 teaspoon).

Cover the pan with foil, then slide into preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes. Very carefully remove the foil and continue to bake until tender, 15-20 minutes longer.