Souvlaki and lemon potatoes with tzatziki

spent my semester abroad in Greece, and I still crave all things Greek. A lot of Greek food is fairly time consuming and best suited to long, meditative weekend days, but I have a couple of quick dishes in my repertoire. They all rely heavily on lemon juice, good olive oil (I buy mine in bulk from a Greek importer) and garlic. Lots of garlic. Disclaimer: Do not make the mistake of bringing leftovers to work for lunch unless you want to knock people out with the sheer strength of your breath. Obsessive teeth brushing and loads of gum will have no impact, I promise.

The essentials - olive oil and fresh lemons

Souvlaki (grilled skewers) takes no time at all - you just make a simple mixture of lemon juice and olive oil, add salt, pepper and oregano. Cut up chunks of beef (or lamb, or chicken) and let it marinate for a few hours in the fridge. Take it out and put it on skewers and grill. Easy.

My tzatziki recipe is a little bastardized. You are supposed to add a generous amount of olive oil, but I've always preferred the thicker texture you get without it. All you need is a couple cloves of garlic, minced, and a cucumber, finely shredded and then pressed several times to remove as much liquid as possible. Mix in Greek yogurt (I always use Fage 2%), along with salt, pepper and dill. It's tart and thick and perfect.

Tzatziki - store bought versions are a very poor substitute

Lemon potatoes are delicious wrapped in flatbread with the meat or just dipped directly in the tzatziki. It works especially well with little red potatoes, but russet was what I had around.

Lemon potatoes and tzatziki

Chop 2 potatoes into largish pieces, toss in a bowl with the juice of two lemons and a couple tablespoons olive oil, plus minced garlic and dill. Cook in a large saucepan over medium high heat, covering the pan for the first 10 minutes or so, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove lid and continue to cook until the potatoes are done (and nicely browned on the outside).

The whole meal

Quick, simple, and addictive. Make sure you don't make too many potatoes, because you'll probably end up eating all of them at once.