Ingredients:

  • 2 kg (4.5 lbs) Yukon Gold or waxy potatoes, peeled or scrubbed well, and cut into large, even wedges
  • 1 large (or 2 small) organic lemon, for both zest and juice
  • 8–10 large cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) high-quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 60 ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt (plus more for finishing)
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 350 ml (1 ½ cups) low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (for finishing)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Cut the potatoes into even, large wedges (approximately chunky chip size). This is crucial for even cooking.
  2. Prepare Aromatics: Zest the lemon, then juice it. Smash and roughly chop the 8–10 garlic cloves.
  3. Create the Roasting Mix: In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, chopped garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and the stock. Whisk briefly to emulsify slightly.
  4. Coat Potatoes: Place the potato wedges into a large sturdy roasting dish. Pour the prepared roasting mix over the potatoes, ensuring everything is coated evenly.
  5. Initial Steam/Roast (Absorption Phase): Place the dish into the preheated oven. Roast for 30–35 minutes, stirring the potatoes halfway through. The liquid should be steaming, and the potatoes will begin to soften and absorb the liquid.
  6. Reduce Heat and Concentrate: Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F). Continue roasting for another 20 minutes. At this point, most of the liquid should have evaporated, leaving behind a thick, flavourful oily coating.
  7. Agitate and Crisp: Remove the dish from the oven. Using a spatula, scrape the potatoes up from the bottom of the pan—this roughs up the edges and coats them in the reduced, concentrated lemon-garlic emulsion.
  8. Final Crisp (Searing Phase): Return the potatoes to the oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the exterior is deeply golden brown, crunchy, and the remaining liquid is fully reduced/absorbed.
  9. Check and Adjust: Test a potato wedge for tenderness; it should be perfectly creamy inside. Taste for seasoning and add a final sprinkle of coarse salt if needed.
  10. Garnish and Serve: Transfer the Patates Lemonates to a serving platter, scraping up any delicious, caramelized garlic bits from the bottom of the pan. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.