The world over, you’ll find home cooks trying to turn bags of potatoes into dinner, myself included. Sometimes, my answer is a Sri Lankan potato curry, or a Gujarati one. Perhaps a slow-cooked Spanish omelette if it’s a date night with Hugh at the kitchen island (like this Friday) but today, the solution is Greek. Yahni is the Greek word for a style of cooking: vegetables braised in plenty of olive oil and tomatoes, until tender. It’s a way of being, a vote for the simple and the slow and the good (but it is also dinner, if you wish).

Patates yahni

Serve with crusty bread or Greek flatbreads for a main meal, or with some picky bits on the side or even with a fried egg for breakfast.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4

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, cut into wedges 2½cm at the widest point
2 tsp dried oregano, plus extra to finish
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 400g tins finely chopped tomatoes – I like Mutti
150g feta
75g Greek yoghurt
1 lemon finely zested, plus 1 tbsp juice
80g kalamata olives, pitted

Put five tablespoons of oil in a wide, deep-sided pan for which you have a lid and set it on a medium to high heat. When hot, add the sliced red onion and a teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, until the onion is soft enough to cut with a wooden spoon.

Add the garlic, cook, stirring, for two minutes, then stir in the potato wedges and oregano until well coated in oil. Add the tomato puree, cook for a minute, then tip in the chopped tomatoes and 400ml water. Bring to a boil, then cover the pan, turn down the heat to simmer and leave to cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, blitz the feta, yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, three tablespoons of olive oil and a big pinch or two of salt, until smooth and creamy.

Stir the olives into the tomato and potato mix, then simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes more, until the potatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened nicely.

Serve warm in shallow bowls topped with a healthy dollop of whipped feta and a sprinkling of oregano.