Lemon Roasted Potatoes with Whipped Feta Sauce
The Mediterranean Potatoes of Your Dreams
Crispy Lemon Roasted Potatoes piled high on top of a creamy plant-based feta sauce and topped with a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
There’s a Mediterranean spot near me that serves the best lemon roasted potatoes, hummus, and falafel. My attempts at recreating the luscious creaminess that is their hummus have been huge failures. I just can’t seem to get my hummus that creamy. I do have a hack, not using chickpeas (ha!), but that’s sort of beside the point.
So when I had a craving for their lemon potatoes the other day and realized I had all of the ingredients I needed I figured I’d give it a go. Definitely not a failure. Dare I say these potatoes where better than theirs? I mean, I did add a whipped feta sauce so bonus points for that but damn, these potatoes are GOOD.
I also used a hack I’ve been wielding like a magic wand lately to keep the potatoes the perfect texture. The microwave. Yes, the microwave. Listen, I’m not a huge microwave fan but I’ve found that it’s the perfect way to get potatoes ready for roasting super fast while making sure that the texture is still firm and not waterlogged like they can be when boiling. I want a bit of bite to my potatoes, they should be tender but firm enough to not fall apart.
The microwave is also way more forgiving than boiling, and less mess. You’ll want to use a microwave safe bowl, ceramic is my suggestion, as it can withstand the heat in the microwave for 10+ minutes and cools off quickly when done. Using the microwave, the potatoes get steamed in a sense instead of boiled.
To make this all come together, I placed the halved gold potatoes in a large ceramic bowl and added about a cup of vegetable broth. Then I microwaved in 5 minute increments, tossing between goes, just until the potatoes were fork tender. For 1.5-2 lbs of potatoes, it took about 10-15 minutes.
Next, I strained the broth off and set it aside to be used in the sauce. I tossed the potatoes with a bit of oil, salt, and pepper and air fried for about 10 minutes, flipping once.
You can totally use an oven but the air fryer gets the potatoes so crispy, so fast. I didn’t own an air fryer up until last fall when a former client contracted me to photograph 50+ air fryer recipes, the client ended up being a total fraud and sent me stolen recipes to photograph. So while the project was a bust, I still found out what all the air fryer fuss was about. I’m sorry for judging. You all were right. They are totally worth the hype.
While the potatoes were getting their tan on, I made the sauce with the starchy broth leftover from cooking the potatoes, mixing it with a bit of olive oil, loads of fresh garlic, and fresh lemon right at the end keeping it bright and fresh.
To make the whipped feta sauce, it couldn’t be easier. I simply blend up vegan feta, my favorite is Follow Your Heart or Violife, with a bit of dairy-free yogurt, more garlic, and salt and pepper. Also some fresh herbs for good measure. I then blended until super smooth and creamy, adding a bit of water to thin.
To bring it all together, I smeared a serving platter with the feta sauce then top with the roasted potatoes. A drizzle of a bit of the lemon sauce over the potatoes (you’ll have quite a bit leftover, it’s great for dipping or reserve for another use) and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, sumac, a fresh crack of black pepper, and some fresh snipped herbs finished it off.
Heaven on a plate. If you’re a potato and feta fan, make these then come back here and let me know your thoughts, I hope you love them!
