Vegetarian Dish for Greek Potato Stew: A Heartwarming Greek Classic

Globally, home cooks often find themselves turn a humble sack of potatoes into a hearty evening meal. In my kitchen experiments often involve a aromatic Sri Lankan potato curry, a flavorful Gujarati version, or even a slow-cooked Spanish tortilla for a special occasion. Today, however, inspiration comes from Greece. Yahni denotes a traditional Greek cooking method: vegetables braised liberally in olive oil and tomatoes until perfectly tender. It’s as much a philosophy—it’s a vote of the unfussy, the slow, and the incredibly satisfying (and yes, it also makes a wonderful dinner).

Potato Yahni

Serve this with crusty bread or grilled bread for a hearty meal. It also pairs beautifully with a assortment of mezze or even crowned with a sunny-side-up egg for a remarkable breakfast.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4 people

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large red onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
• Fine sea salt
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1kg desiree potatoes (or other waxy variety), cut into 2½cm wedges
• 2 tsp dried oregano, plus extra for garnish
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 x 400g tins of finely chopped tomatoes
• 150g feta cheese
• 75g Greek yoghurt
• 1 lemon, finely zested, plus 1 tbsp of juice
• 80g pitted kalamata olives

Instructions

Step One

Place five tablespoons of olive oil in a wide, deep-sided pan that has a cover. Set it over a moderately high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the thinly cut onion and a teaspoon of salt. Fry, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the onion is yielding enough to yield to a wooden spoon.

Adding the Potatoes

Add the minced garlic and cook for a further two minutes, while stirring. Then, incorporate the potato wedges and oregano, stirring until they are well coated in the oil. Spoon in the tomato puree and cook for one minute. Pour in the chopped tomatoes along with 400ml of water. Increase the heat until it boils, then put the lid on, reduce the heat to a steady bubble, and leave to cook for 20 minutes.

Preparing the Topping

Meanwhile, make the whipped feta. In a small bowl with a hand blender, combine the feta, Greek yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, three tablespoons of olive oil, and a couple of good pinches of salt until the mixture is luxuriously creamy.

Step Four

Stir the pitted kalamata olives into the potato stew. Continue to simmer with the lid off for a further 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender all the way through and the sauce has reduced to a rich consistency.

5. To Serve

Serve the hot yahni into pasta bowls. Crown each with a liberal amount of the whipped feta and a light sprinkling of dried oregano.

Patates yahni is a tribute to the power of few components transformed by patient cooking. Share!