Onto a winning Greek
Bold Mediterranean flavours – olive oil, lemon, herbs and garlic – lend themselves perfectly to a fresh spring menu, says NZ House & Garden’s Sally Butters.
Crispy roast potatoes with oregano, lemon & feta
Boiling the potatoes briefly, then drying and roughing them up a little before tossing them into the hot oven, is the secret to deliciously crispy results.
5-6 Agria potatoes, peeled and cut
into 3-4cm chunks
3 tbsp neutral cooking oil,
eg rice bran
Generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt
To serve
100g feta
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 lemon, juice and finely grated zest Small bunch oregano leaves
Peel potatoes and cut into 3-4cm chunks. Cover with water in a pot and bring to the boil.
Meanwhile, heat oven to 200C and place a roasting tray with the oil in it in the oven to get hot.
Let potatoes boil for a minute then drain off the water and return it to the element. Using a tea towel to hold the lid on the pot, shake it carefully a few times, holding the lid in place – this dries out the potatoes and helps ensure they’ll be crispy when roasted.
Carefully remove roasting tray from the oven and add potatoes. Stir gently and sprinkle with salt.
Roast for 40 minutes, shaking and turning the potatoes a couple of times, until golden and crisp. A couple of minutes before removing from the oven, squeeze over the juice of half a lemon.
To serve, crumble feta into a small bowl and add the olive oil, lemon zest and remaining lemon juice. Serve the potatoes with the feta mixture drizzled over and oregano leaves sprinkled on top. Serves 6
Greek green salad
This is an unassuming salad to look at but it packs a lot of punch, thanks to the addition of plenty of fresh herbs and raw garlic. Using a good-quality flavoured olive oil can be a nice extra touch.
1 head cos lettuce (or 4 baby cos lettuce or substitute iceberg lettuce)
1 fennel bulb
4-5 spring onions, sliced
1 bunch fresh dill, roughly
chopped
1 small bunch fresh mint, roughly
chopped
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley,
roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 lemon, juiced Generous pinch flaky sea salt
and cracked black pepper Generous drizzle good-quality
olive oil
Slice lettuce and fennel and gently toss together in a bowl. Add spring onions and herbs and gently toss again.
Whisk garlic with lemon juice and pour over the salad. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over the olive oil. Toss well and serve.
Serves 6
Tray-baked fish with chunky green olive dressing
This oven-baked dish is a great, no-fuss way to cook fish fillets for a group, and the herby dressing adds a terrific boost of fresh flavour.
1 fennel bulb
2 lemons
6 fillets firm-fleshed white fish,
eg trevally or tarakihi Drizzle of good-quality olive oil Sea salt and cracked black
pepper
Baby spinach to serve
Dressing
1⁄2 cup Sicilian green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 cup chopped fresh herbs
(we used coriander, mint, parsley and dill)
Sea salt and cracked black pepper 1 lemon, juice and finely
grated zest
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
(or white wine vinegar) Small pinch of chilli flakes
1⁄2-3⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Heat oven to 180C. Thickly slice fennel and lay on a roasting tray. Slice lemons and lay on the tray also. Lay fish on top. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until fillets are just cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
Serve on a bed of baby spinach with the chunky dressing spooned over the top.
Dressing: Place all ingredients in a small jug and whisk to combine. Taste and add more herbs or seasoning as necessary. Serve drizzled over the fish.
Serves 6