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Potato/ Sides

Crispy Lemon Roasted Potatoes

August 19, 2020 by Chris Collins

These Potatoes are infused with Lemon Juice then roasted with Garlic and Rosemary. They’re ultra crispy and super easy to make!

Yes, you really can have your cake and eat it! Lemon potatoes that are actually crispy. Follow me…

overhead shot of potatoes garnished with parsley fresh out the oven

Lemon Potatoes

A lot of lemon potato recipes either coat the potatoes with lemon juice and roast them, or simply roast the potatoes with lemon wedges. Whilst this infuses the potatoes nicely, the excess moisture causes the potatoes to steam instead of roast, leaving them limp and soft. To prevent this we need to start off with one crucial step.

Parboiling the Potatoes

Boiling the potatoes serves 2 main purposes:

  • Infusing Lemon – As the potatoes boil place in some squeezed lemons to infuse the potatoes. This way the lemon flavour will run right through the centre of the potatoes, not just on the surface.
  • Remove Starch – When you boil potatoes you remove starch, which is what causes potatoes to go gloopy in the centre when they’re baked. Removing starch will ensure the potatoes come out nice and fluffy in the centre.

Steam Dry!

Another crucial step is allowing the potatoes to steam dry. This way you remove the moisture from the centre of the potatoes, meaning they’ll come out light and crispy, but you remain with the infused lemon flavour. Win win!

Process shots: add potatoes to pot (photo 1), pour in cold water and add lemon (photo 2), boil until knife tender (photo 3), drain and steam dry (photo 4).

4 step by step photos of How to make lemon potatoes

Roasted Lemon Potatoes

You’ll want to steam dry the potatoes for at least 10mins, but preferably until they’ve stopped steaming and are cool enough to handle. From there just grab a large baking tray and chuck ’em on! Lemon skins included.

Space them out!

Important to space out the spuds or they’ll steam instead of roast. Roughly touching is fine, just not piled on top of each other.

Garlic and Rosemary

Lemon, garlic and rosemary is such a gorgeous flavour combo. The potatoes take on these flavours really nicely. Fresh garlic and rosemary work best, no need to dice them up just chuck them straight on.

Process shots: add potatoes and lemon onto a tray (photo 1), add seasoning and oil and roast (photo 2).

2 step by step photos of How to roast lemon potatoes

Serving Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Once they’ve roasted just remove the garlic, rosemary and lemon skins. From there I like to toss through some fresh parsley.

Can I use other herbs?

The lemon potatoes work great with a variety of different herbs! I’ve roasted with thyme instead of rosemary which works nicely. You could even switch out the parsley for basil or dill!

How lemony are these potatoes?

The have a subtle lemon flavour through the middle. When you’ve JUST served them I recommend an extra squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Only do this at the very end so they say nice and crispy.

overhead shot of potatoes served on white plate with asparagus and chicken with two silver forks

And there we have it! All my top tips for the perfect lemon potatoes.

If you’re looking for another delicious lemon potato recipe check out my Browned Butter Lemon Baby Potatoes!

Hey, whilst you’re here why not check out my other recipes:

Crispy Potato Recipes

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these roasted lemon potatoes shall we?!

close up shot of potato on baking tray garnished with parsley

How to make Lemon Potatoes (Full Recipe & Video)

overhead shot of potatoes garnished with parsley fresh out the oven

Crispy Lemon Roasted Potatoes

These Potatoes are infused with Lemon Juice then roasted with Garlic and Rosemary. They're ultra crispy and super easy to make!
5 from 5 votes
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Servings (click & slide): 4
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Universal
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Steam Drying: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Calories per serving: 278kcal
Cost per serving: £1.50 / $2

Equipment:

  • Medium/Large Pot & Colander
  • Large Greaseproof Baking Tray
  • Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
  • Plastic Turner/Spatula

Ingredients (check list):

  • 2lb / 1kg Baking Potatoes, diced into chunks
  • 3 Lemons
  • 3-4 large sprigs of Fresh Rosemary, halved
  • 1 small bulb of Garlic, cloves separated but left in skins
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Parsley, or as needed (to serve)
  • 1.5 tsp Salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste

Instructions:

  • Place potatoes into a pot and fill with cold water until they're only just covered. Quarter 2 of your lemons and squeeze all of the juice into the water, then add the leftover lemon skin in there too. Sprinkle in 1 tsp salt, give it a stir then bring to a boil. Cook until knife tender, around 15-20mins depending on size.
  • Drain and leave to steam dry for at least 10mins, but preferably until they completely stop steaming and are cool enough to handle.
  • Add everything (including lemon skins) to a large baking tray and throw on the rosemary and garlic cloves. Drizzle over 2 tbsp olive oil and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste). Give a good mix, space everything out then pop in the oven at 200C/390F for 35-45mins, or until golden and crunchy, tossing everything once of twice during.
  • Remove garlic cloves, lemon and rosemary stalks, then sprinkle of fresh parsley. Divide remaining lemon into 4 wedges and squeeze over lemon juice to taste JUST before serving (so they stay nice and crispy).

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) How lemony are these potatoes? - They have a subtle taste of lemon running through the centre. This, alongside a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice over right at the very end, results in a nice burst of lemon flavour, but nothing too overpowering. Taste one fresh out the oven to determine of much, if any, lemon juice you want to squeeze over at the end.
b) Can I use other herbs? - These work great with a variety of different herbs. I've swapped the rosemary out for thyme before and that works nicely. You can also switch of the fresh parsley for dill or basil. Oregano is also quite traditional in Greek style lemon potatoes.
c) Calories - slight overestimate as the garlic/rosemary isn't actually eaten, and the 1 tsp salt in the water doesn't all get soaked up by the potatoes. Just a rough guidance:

Your Private Notes:

Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts
Crispy Lemon Roasted Potatoes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 278 Calories from Fat 65
% Daily Value*
Fat 7.25g11%
Saturated Fat 1.031g5%
Trans Fat 0.003g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.835g
Monounsaturated Fat 4.934g
Sodium 901mg38%
Potassium 1303mg37%
Carbohydrates 48.7g16%
Fiber 4.4g18%
Sugar 4.2g5%
Protein 5.7g11%
Vitamin A 125IU3%
Vitamin C 45.3mg55%
Calcium 35mg4%
Iron 1.86mg10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.
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Recipe Rating




14 Comments

  • Reply
    Gail Sprague
    December 30, 2021 at 12:08 am

    5 stars
    Made these in the air fryer to go with the garlic butter chicken. Yummy crispy goodness.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      December 30, 2021 at 11:18 am

      Great to know these can be made in the air fryer! Thanks Gail!

  • Reply
    Kate Kritz
    December 22, 2020 at 6:17 pm

    Hi, Can you make these ahead of time? Thanks! They look great!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      December 23, 2020 at 10:57 am

      Hey Kate! I always make these fresh, but if you were to make them in advance I’d boil them & let them cool, then cover in the fridge until ready to oil and bake. you could probably completely make them too and reheat at a lower temp (say 180C/350F), I’ve just not sure how well they’d crisp up. Chris

  • Reply
    Kechi
    November 21, 2020 at 5:21 pm

    5 stars
    I love the crispiness and color of these potatoes! They must be delicious; I usually do not add lemons to my potatoes, but I like learning this from you today!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      November 22, 2020 at 11:58 am

      It’s a total game changer 🙂

  • Reply
    Traci
    November 21, 2020 at 2:36 pm

    5 stars
    Another winner from you! Easy, crispy, and lemony delicious…love the combo!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      November 22, 2020 at 11:58 am

      Thanks Traci 🙂

  • Reply
    Julia
    November 21, 2020 at 2:10 pm

    I love roasted potatoes and infusing them with lemon sounds like a great idea!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      November 22, 2020 at 11:58 am

      Thanks Julia 🙂

  • Reply
    Jen
    November 21, 2020 at 2:03 pm

    5 stars
    The crisp on these is PERFECTION! Thanks for all of your tips so I can achieve it as well. I know these will be a hit in our house.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      November 22, 2020 at 11:58 am

      Hope they go down well! 🙂

  • Reply
    Ipsa
    November 21, 2020 at 12:39 pm

    5 stars
    These roasted potatoes look so yummy and irresistible. And it tastes so good, flavorful. I loved these crispy roasted potatoes.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      November 22, 2020 at 11:56 am

      Thank you! 🙂

    5 KNOCKOUT

    DINNERS

    YOU'LL NEVER STOP MAKING!

    A FREE EMAIL SERIES, FROM ONE FOODIE TO ANOTHER