Welcome, spring. While we are still feeling the cold winds, reminiscent of our Storrs winters, the sun is poking out more and more. Weather is a great marker for how we characterize seasons. However, the next best thing is foods and flavors.
The dish for this week was not inspired by TikTok, so again, I will be abstracting away until I find another recipe that catches my eye. Instead, I tried a Greek recipe over spring break that was one of the best potato dishes I have enjoyed. It utilized simple ingredients, and the results were detectably soft potatoes coated with oil and soft feta cheese.
This dish also won me over with the aromatics, using dried thyme and oregano, which give a strong Mediterranean flavor that is perfect for a spring recipe.
Without further ado, the recipe for this week is Greek potatoes served with yogurt-marinated Mediterranean chicken. I had to pair the potatoes with some sort of meat, so I altered a previous Mediterranean chicken recipe from TikTok that I thought would work well.
First, I prepped the chicken. This is super quick and easy. I added boneless, skinless chicken thighs to a bowl with a drizzle of about one tablespoon of olive oil. Then, I added three tablespoons of Greek yogurt. The yogurt helps the spices stick to the chicken, and when cooked, gives it an earthy flavor that brings the meat to life.
After ensuring the thighs were fully coated, I added paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. To give the chicken more acidity, I added about three tablespoons of lemon juice and four teaspoons of garlic. For color and to give the chicken a more refreshing taste, I chopped up some parsley and added it to the mix as well.
Make sure these are evenly incorporated and then cover and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour. Although, if you are really pressed for time, give it at least 10 minutes.
To cook them, heat a sauté pan to about medium-high. Add the chicken and cook for about five to six minutes per side. Because the seasoning coating can char, you may confuse how “done” your chicken is, so just stick to the five to six minutes or cut into the chicken as a check. Top with some more chopped parsley when you are ready to serve.
For the potatoes, I washed and cubed roughly six potatoes. I used yellow Yukon potatoes since they are much softer upon cooking than the brown ones. Keep the skin on because they will get crispier in the oven, giving the potatoes a good texture.
Add these to a bowl and mix in the olive oil, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and lemon juice. Combine everything and add it to a baking tray with moderate depth so you can shake the potatoes as necessary when baking. Set the oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place a block of feta—around 200 grams—in the middle. Some of you have likely seen this done with a pasta dish utilizing a block of feta and cherry tomatoes. Same deal. Just place it in the middle and line the rest of the tray with potatoes. I learned that, with smaller bits of feta, it is more difficult for the cheese to become creamy than with using the large block. That is why we use the block.
Cook in the oven for about 40-45 minutes. This is variable, so just pluck both the feta and the potatoes with a fork to make sure they are at the level of softness you would like. A trick I learned is to broil on low for just the last minute. The broiling function of an oven uses the highest possible heat quickly to char whatever you have in the oven. This gives the feta and potatoes a smoky depth that tastes great.
Make sure not to broil too long; otherwise, everything will get burned and may even activate the ear-piercing ring of your fire alarm. Once everything is out, try to incorporate the potatoes with the feta so everything gets coated. Then, these are ready to serve.
This is a great recipe for college because it utilizes spices that are commonplace in the spice cabinets of students. Additionally, it is relatively cheap, as the Greek yogurt and chicken are the largest expenses. This comfortably fed four people, so it can also be used for meal prep.
Utilize this recipe next time you add another dish to your college food rotations. So, instead of going Greek for Greek life, go Greek with this recipe. Hope you enjoy it.
Ingredients:
Chicken:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
3 tbsp lemon juice
4 tsp garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
6 sprigs of parsley
Potatoes:
200g block of feta
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp dried thyme
1.5 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp of salt
.5 tsp of black pepper
5 yellow Yukon potatoes
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
Rating: 4.9/5
Price: $24.21