These Greek potatoes are crispy-meets-tender, easy to throw together on a weeknight, and pack all the lemony, garlicky flavors of Greece with my little twist: melty Parmesan cheese!
This easy recipe is my take on Patates Lemonates, the golden potatoes you find at just about every Greek restaurant. They’re crisp on the outside, fluffy inside and burst with garlicky, lemony flavor.
My version of Greek potatoes starts with the classic heavy hitters: garlic, oregano, lemon, and stock (you can use vegetable broth for a vegetarian option). The potatoes bathe in this fragrant broth before roasting. Then, just when they’re tender and the edges are turning golden, I sprinkle on Parmesan so it melts, bubbles, and creates a caramelized crust. They may not be traditional, but they are irresistible!
Bold and yet so versatile, they’re the perfect side to so many Greek feasts, from a simple Greek salad to grilled Chicken Souvlaki. Plus, they are so easy to make. They only take about 10 minutes of hands-on time, then pop them in the oven while you get the main course ready.
Table of Contents
Greek Potatoes Ingredients and Substitutions
My secret ingredient to these roasted Greek potatoes is a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese added midway through baking. This isn’t necessarily traditional, but it adds both flavor and texture.
- Spices: Dried Greek oregano, dried rosemary, and sweet paprika bring decidedly Greek-style flavor to the party. Kosher salt and black pepper perk up the flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil: The olive oil flavors the broth and the potatoes soak up all that flavor as they roast, so a high quality oil is essential. I recommend our rich and peppery Private Reserve Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil with this recipe.
- Parmesan cheese: I love how the Parmesan gets melty, bubbly, golden brown, and delicious, but it’s not traditional. Feel free to leave this off for a dairy free option. Or take a page from our Greek fries and swap with crumbled fresh feta after roasting.
- Baking potatoes: Russet, Idaho, or Yukon gold work best.
- Garlic: And lots of it! Garlic and salt are a potato’s best friend.
- Lemon: A fresh squeeze of lemon juice gives these roasted potatoes just the right amount of zing.
- Vegetable or chicken broth: I like to use low sodium so I can control the seasoning, but potatoes can handle a lot of salt, so standard broth would also work.
- PRO TIP: Did you know that chicken stock and chicken broth are (almost always) interchangeable, and that you can make your own vegetable broth with leftover food scraps?
- Parsley leaves: Adds herby freshness to this dish, but they’re not crucial. If you have all the ingredients except parsley, you don’t need to make a special trip.
How To Make Greek Lemon Potatoes
Cheesy, crispy, lemony Greek Potatoes is a side dish recipe all home cooks should keep up their sleeve. It’s inexpensive, easy, goes with everything, and is sure to be a big hit at your table. Here are all the tricks for how to roast potatoes in the oven so they’re tender on the inside and crispy on the outside:
- Get ready: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a large, 9”X13-inch baking dish in a thin layer of olive oil.
- Make the spice mix: In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon each salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, oregano, and dried rosemary.
- Cut the potatoes into wedges: Peel and scrub 4 potatoes. Put one on your cutting board and slice it in half lengthwise. With the cut side facing down, slice each half lengthwise once more, then slice each piece in half lengthwise one more time to make 8 wedges. Repeat with the remaining 3 potatoes, slicing each one into 8 wedges.
- Season the potatoes: Place the potato wedges in the oiled baking dish and sprinkle with the spice mix. Toss to evenly to distribute the spices.
- Season the broth: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 8 chopped garlic cloves, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, the juice of one lemon, and 1 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth. Pour over the potatoes.
- Bake the potatoes: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Give the potatoes a cheesy crust: Remove the potatoes from the oven, uncover, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven, uncovered, and roast until the potatoes are cooked through and have turned a nice golden brown with a little crust forming, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, and serve. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Greek Potatoes
With all the classic Greek flavors of lemon, herbs, and garlic, these Greek-style potatoes make for the perfect side dish to so many recipes. Serve:
- As a mezze: Serve with a punchy dip, like 5-minute Creamy Whipped Feta or Spinach Greek Yogurt Dip.
- Alongside meat: I love a good Mediterranean meat and potatoes situation! Serve with anything from Greek meatballs to grilled chicken thighs–you really can’t go wrong!
- With fish: I particularly love them Greek tavern-style with a pan of garlicky seared shrimp or salmon burgers
- For a hearty vegetarian dinner: Opt for vegetable stock and serve with a hearty salad, like Lentil Salad with Roasted Eggplant.
Greek Potatoes
Ingredients
For the Spice Mix
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
For the Potatoes
- 4 large baking potatoes (like Russet, Idaho, or Yukon gold), peeled, washed, and cut into wedges
- 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for coating
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth, if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Get ready: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a large, 9”X13-inch baking dish in a thin layer of olive oil.
- Make the spice mix: In a small bowl, mix together the salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, oregano, and dried rosemary.
- Prep the potatoes: Place the potato wedges in the oiled baking dish and sprinkle with the spice mix. Toss to evenly to distribute the spices.
- Season the broth: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and broth. Pour over the potatoes.
- Bake the potatoes: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Give the potatoes a cheesy crust: Remove the potatoes from the oven, uncover, and sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven, uncovered, and roast until the potatoes are cooked through and have turned a nice golden brown with a little crust forming, about 10-15 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Remove from the oven, garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, and serve. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- Make it spicy! Feel free to throw in a pinch of cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or Aleppo pepper with the spice mix.
- If you want to add a touch more browning and color to the potatoes, finish them under the broiler. Just be sure to keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn!
Nutrition
Try Our Greek Oregano!
This dried herb straight from Greece is lemony, fragrant, and perfect for everyday use.
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
It was the same for me….way too much liquid.
These are delicious but I had way too much potato and had to leave some out. “Large” in relation to a given potato variety varies from type to type. It would be so much more helpful if you could tell me how much potato by weight we should use.
In general, descriptive terms like “small”, “medium”, “large” aren’t particularly helpful because it’s relative. Please give us measurements by weight or by measuring cups.
Also…as others have mentioned there was just *way* too much liquid when it was all done.
I’m curious as to if anyone has multiplied this recipe, and what the results were? I’ve made Mediterranean styled lemon potatoes before, not this recipe though, and I ran into issues with having too much liquid (even dividing and cooking between multiple pans) standing in the pans after baking, resulting in the potatoes never crisping. They were delicious, don’t get me wrong, just not the desired outcome.
It was too liquid-y for me as well, but still delicious. Not sure how I will modify it next time I make it, but I will use way less chicken stock.
These sound delicious! If I want to serve them with the split turkey half-breast, can I cook them longer at 350 (with the turkey) and then do the roasting when I remove the turkey? Or can I cook them first at 400 and remove them while the turkey is cooking, putting them back in at the end? Many thanks.
I’m Greek and I love the idea of adding the cheese . Delicious! My family loves them .
Thanks, Sandy!
Tasty potatoes. Drizzled more fresh lemon juice once out of the oven. Served alongside oregano chicken.
So glad you enjoyed them, Vita!
I’m Greek and these aren’t Greek potatoes! These are French fries. Us Greeks never use parmesan cheese. Also our potatoes are saucy these are drier. I’m sure these are delicious but not Greek potatoes. Your non Greek readers shouln’t think these are from my country’s cuisine
Hi, Gia! Thank you for stopping in. I’m not sure if you read through the entire post to see that Suzy specifically said this, “A little secret ingredient here is a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese added midway through baking. This isn’t necessarily traditional, but it adds both flavor and texture.” So as you see, she did call that out as one non traditional ingredient. As you know, cooking is a creative process, no two recipes are the exact same. Even chefs of Greek origins who Suzy respects deeply often put their own modern twists on traditional dishes. She’s no stranger to the Mediterranean as that is her heritage, and she’s no stranger to delicious Greek cuisine. Not only has she traveled and researched the foods of Greece, but as a child, she also lived alongside Greeks (some of her family’s best friends are Greeks). Countries of the Mediterranean share a lot of beautiful flavors and are known for their hospitality, and that is what we celebrate here in our little corner of the internet. All the best to you.
I’m Greek amd these aren’t Greek potatoes. They look delicious but us Greeks never put parmesan on them (an Italian cheese), plus we also put lots of oregano. Also these look more like French fries as our potatoes are more saucy. I love all your recipes Suzy and alot of your Greek recipes are really authentic except for these. They’re just not Greek potatoes. But I’ll definitely make them
Excellent potato dish it’s my second time 👍🏻
We love to hear that, David! Thank you!
I’ve made these potatoes 3 times already and it’s only been a week since I found the recipe. We can’t get enough of them, but then again, we LOVE lemon! They go so well with the lemony chicken thighs. I would give you 10 stars for this recipe. Pure yummy goodness. But I didn’t peel the potatoes as we love the skin.
Thanks so much for the great review, Loretta!
I’d leave out the broth and just cook the potatoes in olive oil, spices and lemon juice. I cooked it with the broth and it was nice but I felt the spices had been watered down. I’ll experiment and see 😊
Love recipes from the country that people are from.
FYI, pouring the stock mix over the potatoes washes much of the seasoning off.
Is the nutrition information provided for each serving or the whole dish ?
I am now making this dish for the second time. It tastes heavenly. Thanks for sharing.
Hi, Vani. The nutritional info hear is per serving.
Sadly, I did not read the comments before embarking on this recipe, and I agree, the stock was too much, and my potato wedges were swimming in the liquid even after extra time given. They did not look like the photo posted. The flavour was definitely there, but sadly the liquid, with all its extra flavour, was wasted and the potatoes were not golden roasted. I’ll stick with my olive oil coasted potato wedges next time, sorry.
If I make this the day before and reheat – how long and at what temp should I reheat? Also should I skip the cheese until the reheat stage?
Hi, Nina. You can try making ahead (including the cheese) and then reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F. Covering might help, unless you want them to crisp up. Just keep an eye on them and take them out when they are warmed though. Enjoy!
Can I peel the potatoes a day before cooking them?
Hi, Terry! You sure can! To prevent the peeled potatoes from discoloring, though, place them in a bowl of cold water. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and store it in the refrigerator. Make sure the potatoes are fully submerged in the water to prevent them from drying out or browning.