Vegetarian Recipe for Greek Potato Stew: A Soul-Satisfying Greek Classic

Globally, everyday chefs often find themselves turn a humble sack of potatoes into a delicious evening meal. My own cooking adventures often involve a spicy Sri Lankan potato curry, a savory Gujarati version, or even a slow-cooked Spanish tortilla for a cozy occasion. Today, however, the solution comes from Greece. Yahni describes a time-honored Greek culinary style: vegetables slow-cooked liberally in olive oil and tomatoes until perfectly tender. It’s as much a philosophy—it’s a celebration of the unfussy, the slow, and the truly delicious (and yes, it ultimately is a fantastic dinner).

Greek Braised Potatoes

Enjoy this with crusty bread or grilled bread for a substantial dinner. It also goes perfectly with a few mezze or even crowned with a sunny-side-up egg for a surprisingly good 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

Directions

Step One

Pour five tablespoons of olive oil in a capacious casserole dish that has a cover. Set it over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion slices and a teaspoon of salt. Cook, moving it around, for about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent enough to succumb to a wooden spoon.

Adding the Potatoes

Introduce the minced garlic and cook for another two minutes, to release its aroma. Then, incorporate the potato wedges and oregano, mixing until they are well coated in the oil. Mix in the tomato puree and cook for one minute. Pour in the chopped tomatoes along with 400ml of water. Bring to a boil, then cover the pan, lower the heat to a steady bubble, and leave to cook for 20 minutes.

Step Three

Meanwhile, whizz up 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 big pinch or two of salt until the mixture is completely smooth.

4. Final Simmer

Stir the pitted kalamata olives into the tomato and potato mixture. Leave it to bubble with the lid off for a further 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife and the sauce has become beautifully cohesive.

Plating Up

Spoon the hot yahni into serving dishes. Finish each with a liberal amount of the whipped feta and a scattering of dried oregano.

The stew is a celebration to the beauty of few components turned into something special by patient cooking. Savor!