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Green garlic is a special ingredient. Not because it is expensive (it isn’t), but because it is extremely seasonal and not commonly found outside farmers markets. When green garlic is in season, I want to make it front and center of its dish. And that’s where these Lemon Potatoes with Green Garlic enter my meal plan. This simple side dish comes together quickly while you prepare the rest of your meal.
Special Ingredients Don’t Need Fancy Recipes
Often, we fall into a trap of thinking fancy ingredients need a fancy recipe to go with them, but this isn’t true. The best way to highlight a special ingredient is to not overwhelm it with other flavors. Simple doesn’t mean bland; let the ingredients shine without overcomplicating things with complicated techniques or fifty bajillion other ingredients. Here, the freshness of the green garlic stands out and is supported by the lemon and potato, not hidden by them.
I also find that simple, flavorful dishes are what dominates my meal plans. While I love cooking, I don’t always want to spend hours making dinner; I save that for special occasions. The rest of the time, I’m balancing time in the kitchen with time at work and everything else going on in my life. I know I’m not alone; so many of us feel overwhelmed with everything we need to accomplish in a day. Don’t let the overwhelm get to you. You can still make a healthy and tasty meal to fuel your body and take care of yourself.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Green Garlic
Green garlic is a young garlic plant that is harvested before the garlic bulb develops. This is different from garlic scapes, which are also harvested from young garlic plants, but with the goal of directing all energy toward the development of the bulb.
Green garlic is a late spring or early summer crop, depending on what’s available in your area.
If you don’t have green garlic available at your farmers market, this recipe will work well with scallions. Or, substitute the white and light green portions of the green garlic with two cloves of garlic, and the dark green portion with chives. A simple recipe like these lemon potatoes is a great platform for experimenting with different flavors to layer on top of the potatoes.
Fingerling Potatoes
Despite their small size, fingerlings are fully mature potatoes. Fingerling varieties can be floury or waxy, and shouldn’t be confused with new potatoes. I would recommend a waxy variety in this recipe because they brown nicely in the oven and have a buttery flavor that balances out the acid of the lemon.
You don’t have to use fingerling potatoes in this recipe, but they’ll sure make prep work easier. Any waxy or new potato will work in this recipe; just chop them into one or two bite sized pieces.
Check out my guide to the different kinds of potatoes at the farmers market here.
Eureka Lemon
Eureka lemons are the most common lemon variety in the United States; this is the lemon we see in the grocery store most often, and is most likely the lemon variety you’ll see at the farmers market outside peak citrus months.
Lemons have gotten expensive these days, so I’m going to be sure to use as much of the lemon as possible. This recipe uses the juice and zest of the lemon to maximize the bright citrus punch. And to get even more use out of that one lemon, save the spent lemon halves and add them to a pitcher of water to infuse it with lemon flavor.
Try substituting with champagne vinegar if you can’t find lemons at your local market. Champagne vinegar will bring a similar acidic punch to the potatoes, so you’ll end up with a similar flavor profile.
Tips and Tricks
There are lots of recipes for lemon potatoes that call for whisking together the oil and the lemon juice together and using that dressing to coat the potatoes before cooking them. I find this yields inconsistent results. Sometimes the potatoes will end up taking forever to cook and brown. Often, the lemon acidity ends up completely hidden at the end. And then I’m just disappointed, which isn’t the way I want my food to be.
The best way to get consistent results with maximum lemon flavor in these potatoes is to add the lemon juice at the end only. This way, the acetic acid (this is the component in lemon juice that gives the sour bite) isn’t cooked off, so you still get that brightness. Additionally, moisture is the enemy of the roasting process in general; the potatoes won’t brown properly when water or lemon juice are in the mix when the potatoes are placed in the oven.
Serving Suggestions
Lemon potatoes with green garlic is a simple side dish that pairs beautifully with many different meals. Even though these potatoes are flavorful on their own, they fit into many different cuisines and meal ideas.
For a steakhouse style meal, serve alongside a perfectly seared steak and some sautéed spinach. I love having a collection of steakhouse sides, and these lemon potatoes fit the bill perfectly. In fact, I particularly enjoy this pairing as it makes it easy to multitask. The potatoes cook in the oven while I sear the steak, and presto! Both parts of dinner are served at the same time!
For a lighter meal, serve these potatoes with a white fish, like cod or sablefish, and a beurre blanc sauce. Lemon and fish make a classic flavor pairing, and these potatoes add a little twist to make this dinner interesting. Don’t be scared of making beurre blanc. I know fancy French sauces can be intimidating, but this beurre blanc recipe has a cheat in it that makes it more foolproof than the traditional version: heavy cream.
What About the Leftovers?
This recipe for lemon potatoes scales easily to match the number of people you are serving. I recommend cutting this recipe in half if you are only cooking for two people. Unfortunately, the lemon dressing does not reheat well; it loses its brightness and the whole dish ends up being dull.
However, if you were to end up with leftovers, I would recommend transforming them into a German potato salad. Unlike American potato salad, German potato salad is vinegar based, and the green garlic flavor adds a nice twist. Plus, transforming leftovers into something new is a great way to feel like you’re not actually eating leftovers. And it reduces food waste, saving you money in the process. Win, win!
Lemon Potatoes with Green Garlic
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Ingredients
- 20 oz fingerling potatoes, such as rosa
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 green garlic “pieces”
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Cut fingerling potatoes in half and toss with avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Lay out in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined sheet tray.
- Roast potatoes in oven for 15 minutes.
- While potatoes are roasting, finely chop the green garlic. Separate the white and light green pieces from the dark green tops.
- After the potatoes have roasted for 15 minutes, remove sheet pan from the oven. Toss potatoes with the white and light green portions of the green garlic. Return potatoes to the oven for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked and the green garlic is browned.
- Remove potatoes from the oven and toss with the dark green portions of the green garlic and the zest and juice of the lemon. Serve immediately.
