Lemon Herb Roasted Potatoes and Souvlaki

Lemon Herb Roasted Potatoes

These Lemon Herb Roasted Potato Nuggets are a terrific side dish with many meals like any roast chicken or lamb dinner or to serve with Greek Souvlaki.

by Barry C. Parsons, serves 4-6
Ingredients:

• 6- 8 large sized russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
• juice of one lemon
• ¼ to ⅓ cup olive oil or Lemon Fused Olive Oil
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. cracked black pepper
• 1½ TB. dried herbs, oregano, thyme and rosemary are good choices
• 1 whole garlic bulb broken into about 4 pieces (optional)

Directions:

• Parboil the potatoes in salted water for about 3-4 minutes, no longer.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• After parboiling, drain the potatoes and let them stand for 5 minutes. Then toss the potatoes with the lemon juice, salt, pepper, herbs, garlic cloves and olive oil.
• Transfer the seasoned potatoes to baking pan. Roast the potatoes for about 45 minutes or until they are nicely golden brown all over, turning them every 20 minutes or so. After the first 10 minutes, give the pan a shake to make sure the potatoes are not stuck to it. The roasted garlic may have to be removed before the potatoes are finished as it generally cooks faster.

Cook's notes: Perhaps the dead of winter its not the ideal time to grill so thread chicken on metal skewers, place on a broiler pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook meat in oven at 425 degrees turning several times.  

Souvlaki:

• 3 TB. fresh lemon juice 
• 1-1/2 tsp.chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces 
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into (1/2-inch-thick) slices 
• Cooking spray

Tzatziki Sauce:

• 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and shredded
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt 
• 1 TB. lemon juice 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

• To prepare souvlaki, combine the first 5 ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake to combine. Add chicken to bag; seal and shake to coat. Marinate chicken in refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning once.
• Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Thread the chicken and zucchini, alternately onto each of 4 (8-inch) skewers.
• Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add skewers; cook 8 minutes or until chicken is done, turning once.
• To prepare tzatziki sauce, combine cucumber, yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1 garlic clove, stirring well. Serve the tzatziki sauce with souvlaki.

Break Up

use a pastry blender to help break up ground meat as it browns. The blades make quick work of cutting through the large clumps. Just be sure to use a stainless steel pan, as the pastry blender could scratch nonstick skillets. Try browning meat in an oven using a glass pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.