Submitted by Babis Andreadis, MD, Professor, Hematology & Oncology, UCSF Health
My Story
This recipe is from my mother's village from the Macedonia region of Northern Greece. It has the classic Mediterranean flavor profile of lemon, olive oil, oregano and garlic and it is easy to make with plenty of unattended time. Enjoy!
Recipe
Ιngredients
1 ½ pounds chicken legs (1 per person)
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered longitudinally
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
2 lemons
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 orange
½ cup chicken or veggie stock
3-4 garlic cloves crushed
Greek oregano
Lemon juice and chopped parsley, as needed
Salt and Pepper
Preparation
Marinate the potatoes (most important step) ideally for 1-2 hours. Mix crushed garlic, the juice of 2 lemons, the juice of an orange, the lemon zest and the chicken or veggie stock. Coat the potatoes with this mixture. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Thirty minutes before the potatoes are done marinating, prepare the chicken. Season with salt, pepper, and Greek oregano and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 425.
Arrange chicken and potatoes (put the boat side down, so as little as possible is touching the pan) on a large glass or porcelain baking tray in a single layer. Pour the remaining juices from the potato marinade in the pan (not directly over the potatoes or chicken) and drizzle everything with olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil and cook for another 30 minutes or so until the potatoes are tender, the chicken skin is crisped, and there are very little juices left in the pan.
To serve, drizzle with fresh lemon juice, salt and some additional oregano.