Roasted Potatoes with Lemon and Dill
These roasted potatoes with lemon and dill are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, making them the perfect side dish. The fresh lemon zest adds a bright, tangy flavor, while the dill brings a subtle, herbaceous note. Together, they create a deliciously refreshing twist on classic roast potatoes.
Roast potatoes are a classic side dish, loved for their irresistibly crispy exterior and fluffy interior. They are the perfect accompaniment to any main course, from succulent roasted meats to delicate fish or hearty vegetarian dishes. Whether served at a casual family dinner or as part of a festive holiday feast, roast potatoes bring comfort and satisfaction to the table, making them a versatile and crowd-pleasing option. This one is so versatile and pairs beautifully with any meat dish. We serve it with a roast leg of lamb, roast beef, turkey, roast chicken, or even fish.
When you elevate your roast potatoes with the fresh, zesty flavors of lemon and dill, they become even more delightful. The bright acidity of lemon cuts through the richness of the potatoes, adding a refreshing twist, while the aromatic dill provides a delicate, herbaceous note that enhances the overall flavor. This combination not only complements a wide range of dishes but also brings a burst of freshness to your plate, making these lemon and dill roasted potatoes a standout side dish for any occasion.
Why is this the best recipe?
- Crispy Exterior with a Tender Interior: Par-boiling the potatoes before roasting ensures they have a soft, fluffy interior while achieving a perfectly crispy and golden exterior in the oven.
- Balanced Flavor: The combination of lemon zest and juice with fresh dill adds a refreshing and zesty brightness that perfectly complements the rich, savory flavor of the roasted potatoes.
- Even Cooking: Par-boiling the potatoes ensures they cook evenly in the oven, preventing any undercooked or overly crispy pieces, leading to a consistently delicious result.
- Versatile and Easy to Pair: This recipe’s vibrant flavors make it a versatile side dish that pairs well with a wide variety of main courses, from grilled meats to fish or vegetarian dishes. It’s simple enough for everyday meals but flavorful enough for special occasions.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Potatoes – You can use starchy russet potatoes and red-skinned ones. The red skin holds its shape much better, but the russet becomes soft, so they tend to get a bit crisper when baked. But any potatoes, as long as you can bake them, would be fine.
- Onions – Red onions are sweeter, and when you squish them with all the lemon and oil,, they tend to get crisper. Can you imagine what that tastes like? Soft, moist potatoes with sweet, crispy onions? Yeah!!
- Dill – It is a strong herb, and while some of us love it, I do know some hate it. If you do not want to use dill, go ahead and use some rosemary, as we did with our rosemary lemon potatoes.
- Lemon Juice – I love lemon potatoes, but you can play around with them. Add less or more. It’s a personal choice.
Step-by-step: Roasted Potatoes with Lemon & Dill
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Prepare the Potatoes: Wash and halve the baby potatoes. If you’re using larger potatoes, cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Par-Boil the Potatoes: Place the halved baby potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender but not fully cooked. Drain the potatoes well, then let them steam-dry for a few minutes.
- Season the Potatoes: In a large mixing bowl, toss the par-boiled potatoes with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder until they are evenly coated.
- Roast the Potatoes: Spread the seasoned potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy on the outside. Stir the potatoes halfway through cooking for even browning.
- Add Lemon and Dill: Once the potatoes are roasted, transfer them back to the mixing bowl. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill, and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley if using. Toss the potatoes until they are well coated with the lemon and dill.
- Serve: Serve the roasted potatoes warm as a side dish to your favorite main course.
Tips for success
- Even Sizing: Cut your potatoes into even-sized pieces to ensure they cook uniformly. This helps prevent some pieces from being overcooked while others are undercooked.
- Steam Dry After Par-Boiling: After draining the par-boiled potatoes, let them steam-dry in the colander for a few minutes. This removes excess moisture, allowing the potatoes to roast up crispier.
- Preheat the Baking Sheet: Place the baking sheet in the oven while it preheats. Adding the potatoes to a hot baking sheet helps them start crisping immediately, enhancing the overall texture.
- Avoid Overcrowding: Spread the potatoes in a single layer with space between them on the baking sheet. Overcrowding can cause the potatoes to steam rather than roast, leading to a less crispy result.
- Tossing with Fresh Herbs After Roasting: Add the lemon juice, zest, and fresh herbs after roasting, not before. This prevents the delicate herbs from burning in the oven and ensures the potatoes absorb the fresh, vibrant flavors at their peak.
- Mustard Dill Cauliflower Rice Pilaf
- Lamb Shoulder Roast Boneless
- Crispy Parmesan Garlic Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Stovetop Melting Potatoes
Frequently asked questions
If well wrapped, these potatoes with dill will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Do not leave them unwrapped, as they will dry out.
You can, but the lemon does not make these potatoes lemony. The flavor is quite subtle. You can certainly reduce the lemon, too.
The boiling reduces the cooking time and gives crisper potatoes. Cooking longer will also brown the onions too much.
I like to use the red baking potatoes, but these work great with any variety, as long as you do not over-cook them when par-boiling
You want them soft but not mushy. Remember, these will cook even while baking, so they are better uncooked than overcooked on the stovetop.
Roasted Potatoes (Lemon and Dill)
The roasted potatoes make a great side dish with any main course from a leg of lamb, roast beef, or roast chicken. Sweet red onions, zesty lemon flavor, and fresh dill perfume the potatoes beautifully.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (900 g) Potatoes Russet or red skin
- 1 med Spanish onion chopped
- 1 large Garlic clove grate or mince
- 1 Lemon juice & zest
- 2 tbsp Dill fresh, chopped
- 3 tbsp (4 tbsp) Olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Black pepper powder
Method
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Prepare the Potatoes: Wash and halve the baby potatoes. If you’re using larger potatoes, cut them into bite-sized pieces.2 lbs Potatoes
- Par-Boil the Potatoes: Place the halved baby potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender but not fully cooked. Drain the potatoes well and let them steam dry for a few minutes.
- Season the Potatoes: In a large mixing bowl, toss the par-boiled potatoes with onions, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder until evenly coated.1 med Spanish onion, 1 large Garlic clove, 1 Lemon juice & zest, 2 tbsp Dill, 3 tbsp Olive oil, 1 tsp Salt , 1 tsp Black pepper powder
- Roast the Potatoes: Spread the seasoned potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy on the outside. Stir the potatoes halfway through cooking for even browning.
- Add Lemon and Dill: Once the potatoes are roasted, transfer them back to the mixing bowl. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill, and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley if using. Toss the potatoes until they are well coated with the lemon and dill.
- Serve: Serve the roasted potatoes warm as a side dish to your favorite main course.
Notes
- Even Sizing: Cut your potatoes into even-sized pieces to ensure they cook uniformly. This helps prevent some pieces from being overcooked while others are undercooked.
- Steam Dry After Par-Boiling: After draining the par-boiled potatoes, allow them to steam dry in the colander for a few minutes. This removes excess moisture, allowing the potatoes to roast up crispier.
- Preheat the Baking Sheet: Place the baking sheet in the oven while it preheats. Adding the potatoes to a hot baking sheet helps them start crisping immediately, enhancing the overall texture.
- Avoid Overcrowding: Spread the potatoes in a single layer with space between them on the baking sheet. Overcrowding can cause the potatoes to steam rather than roast, leading to a less crispy result.
- Tossing with Fresh Herbs After Roasting: Add the lemon juice, zest, and fresh herbs after roasting, not before. This prevents the delicate herbs from burning in the oven and ensures the potatoes absorb the fresh, vibrant flavors at their peak.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
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I have just made this and it is lovely – like all the recipies I have made from your site. However, this comment is to ask you if it is ok to use pure full fat cream instead of oil in some of your cake recipies. I only use olive oil and it leaves too strong a taste ut I dont use other oils at all . I know you do not recommend olive oil but I thought I would take this opportunity to ask your opinion as to the substitute which I presume would be 1.1 measurement – oil v.cream. If not recommended then I will just have to accept that I buy canola oil or similar. Thank you for your wonderful recipies and your beautifully professional site.
Hi Bridgette, thank you so much for your lovely comment and for making so many of my recipes 😊
Just to clarify, I actually use neutral oils like canola or sunflower oil in my cake recipes rather than olive oil, since they give a lighter texture without adding flavor.
In some cake recipes, full-fat cream can work as a partial substitute for oil because of the fat content, but it won’t behave exactly the same in every recipe. Oil usually gives cakes a lighter, softer crumb and keeps them moist longer. Cream can make the texture a bit richer and denser.
I would not recommend a straight 1:1 swap in all recipes, especially delicate cakes. If you prefer not to use olive oil, a more neutral oil like canola, sunflower, or avocado oil is usually the best option.
That said, experimenting in small batches is always part of the fun of baking 😊
I want to make these so badly! I love country fried potatoes but these look sort of like those but kicked up a notch! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I do hope you try it Billy. Enjoy !
This is delicious roasted potato recipe, I usually make potato masala for chapthi, I think this recipe will a great change. I will give it try for sure.
Thank you Swathi. I bet this will work great with Indian spiced potatoes. Sounds yum with chapati.
Veena! These potatoes sound absolutely perfect. I usually don’t like potatoes but with the lemon flavor you added here I would love them. My husband would love them too. I’m definitely going to try these.
Thank you Maren. I’m so happy to hear you say that. I totally love lemon anything