Roast potatoes with za'atar and lemon

pareve Israeli and Mediterranean · easy · 45 min, including 15 hands-on

Golden wedges with tender centres, za'atar releasing its aromas in hot oil in the oven, garlic roasted in its skin, and lemon zest and juice added after roasting.

Ingredients for two

Method

1. Turn on the oven before even taking out the chopping board: 220 °C fan, with the empty metal tray on the middle shelf to heat with the oven. Wash the potatoes and halve lengthways, keeping the skins on, then cut each half into 3 or 4 wedges. The widest part of each wedge should be no more than 2 cm across to ensure they cook in 30 minutes. Dry thoroughly in a tea towel: the surfaces should look matt, with no drops of water.
2. In a mixing bowl, toss the wedges with 20 g oil and the salt, 1 g if the za'atar is salted or 2.5 g if not, until they all glisten. Roll the 4 unpeeled garlic cloves in the mixture. Take out the hot tray with a tea towel and spread out the wedges, a cut side against the metal, without touching: the hot surface starts the crust forming from the first minute. Tuck the garlic cloves between the wedges in the centre of the tray, not on a bare edge. Roast on the middle shelf for 28–30 minutes in total.
3. After 16 minutes, turn the wedges with a spatula. If one resists, wait another 2 minutes: it will release on its own once a crust has formed. Squeeze a garlic clove between two fingers, using the tea towel; if it is already soft, transfer it to the serving plate, otherwise leave until the end. Drizzle the wedges with 5 g oil mixed with 5 g za'atar, toss on the tray and roast for another 12–14 minutes. The thyme and sesame release their aromas in the hot oil and cling to the potatoes, while the sesame turns golden without burning. They are ready when both sides are golden and the tip of a knife slides easily into the centre. If some smaller wedges are already golden and tender before the others, transfer them to the serving plate and continue cooking the rest.
4. Meanwhile, mix the remaining 10 g oil in the small bowl with the remaining 3 g za'atar and the finely grated zest of the half-lemon, avoiding the white pith. Chop the parsley. When the tray comes out of the oven, squeeze 2 garlic cloves out of their skins into this oil: each clove should feel soft, with the flesh emerging when pressed. Mash with a fork, pour over the potatoes and turn gently for 30 seconds; the heat releases the zest's fragrance without cooking it.
5. Divide between two small plates, each with one roasted garlic clove still in its skin. Scatter with parsley and, if available, a pinch of fleur de sel, then serve immediately with the lemon wedges. Squeeze the lemon over only once served, to keep the roasted surfaces as crisp as possible.

On your plate

Cooking tips

This is a small starter or a side dish to share, rather than a complete main course: the protein comes from your chosen main. Serve before a pasta, rice or pulse dish, or grilled fish or chicken, such as orata alla griglia, grilled kefta with tahini or shish taouk, but never before a dish that already includes potatoes, such as hraimi, marka or rosemary roast chicken. Shop-bought za'atar almost always contains salt, hence just 1 g salt on the potatoes; use 2.5 g with an unsalted blend. Some of the za'atar goes into the oven so the sesame browns and adheres, while the rest is added after roasting for the herbs' fragrance. To reheat leftovers, spread them out and heat for 8–10 minutes at 200 °C, then add lemon at the table. Avoid a deep baking dish, which traps steam and softens the potatoes.

Equipment : metal baking tray, mixing bowl, spatula, tea towel, small bowl, fine grater

Mediterranean and Levantine roast potatoes, batata bil-za'atar, finished with za'atar, lemon and garlic roasted in its skin.