Potatoes with Whipped Feta

A simple potato recipe jazzed up Mediterranean style with creamy whipped feta and tangy Greek yogurt. So good you won’t even miss the sour cream!

I came up with this potato recipe on a Tuesday night when I was trying to find something to go with my baked salmon. It started with a lingering bag of Yukon Gold potatoes and my usual suspects: lemon, parsley, feta cheese, and Greek yogurt. 

I simply boiled the potatoes until tender, then cut part an X partway through the center so they open up like a flower, leaving the bottom intact. A drizzle of good olive oil and a quick crisp under the broiler and they were golden brown in minutes. I skipped the sour cream and topped these potatoes with a creamy whipped feta and Greek yogurt. My whole family loved it.

I made it again just a few days later as a vegetarian main with a side of Kidney Bean Salad. It has quickly become part of my regular rotation! 

Table of Contents

1. Ingredients for Feta Potatoes 
2. Ingredient Spotlight
3. What are Yukon Gold Potatoes? 
4. How to Make Potatoes with Whipped Feta
5. What to Serve with Feta Potatoes
6. You’ll Also Like: More Potato Recipes
7. Potatoes with Whipped Feta Recipe

Ingredients for Feta Potatoes 

These Mediterranean-style feta potatoes are flavorful and rich but not overly heavy. And they’re made with pantry essentials! You’ll need: 

• Yukon Gold potatoes are buttery and rich, but you can substitute them with other potatoes like russets if that’s what you have on hand. Use larger Yukon Gold potatoes, save the small ones for another day. 
• Kosher salt livens up the flavor of the potatoes. 
• Extra virgin olive oil allows the potatoes to get golden brown in the oven and enriches the filling. Use a high-quality extra virgin variety–any of the oils from our shop would work well. 
• Feta cheese and Greek yogurt are creamy, tangy, and rich–the perfect full-flavor substitute for the classic combination of potatoes and sour cream. Look for whole blocks of feta preserved in brine, which tends to be much higher quality compared with pre-crumbled feta.
• Aleppo pepper adds a mild heat to this recipe. It’s a favorite spice around here and balances the cooking feta/yogurt sauce perfectly.
• Lemon zest lightens the richness and adds an aromatic, citrusy quality. Lime zest or sumac works as a substitute.   
• Parsley adds an essential freshness to this recipe. I wouldn’t skip it or try to swap with dried herbs. You can substitute if necessary though: basil or cilantro would work in its place. 

Ingredient Spotlight

Aleppo pepper is the one lesser-known ingredient in this simple recipe. It’s a chili pepper with a deeper flavor profile than your average red pepper flakes: fruity, mild, and tangy. Pretty much any time you would use ground black pepper you can use Aleppo pepper in its place for added depth of flavor. 

• READ MORE: What Is Aleppo Pepper And How To Use It
• TRY IT: Aleppo Pepper
• BEST SUBSTITUTE: Red chili flakes, Urfa Biber (which you can learn about in our guide: Urfa Biber: The Turkish Chili Pepper You Want In Your Spice Drawer), or ground black pepper as a final resort. 

What are Yukon Gold Potatoes? 

Yukon Gold potatoes are a potato variety with a thin, delicate golden skin and pale yellow flesh. They’re creamy and slightly sweet–almost like churned butter–and hold their shape well, making them very versatile. You can use other potato varieties for this recipe, just be sure to adjust the cooking times to cook until they’re fork-tender. 

How to Make Potatoes with Whipped Feta

You can cook Yukon gold potatoes just like any other potato, but I like this no-fuss method. I first boil them until they’re buttery tender, then quickly broil them until they’re crispy and golden brown at the edges. Here are the steps: 

• Boil the potatoes. Scrub 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes and place in a medium saucepan or pot. Cover with water by about 2 inches and add a big dash of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium (the water should be gently bubbling). Cook until fork-tender, about 20 minutes or so depending on the size of the potatoes. 
• Meanwhile, prepare the whipped feta. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S blade, add crumble in 4 ounces of block feta. Add 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, and 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper. Close the lid and blend on low speed. While blending, use the top opening to pour in a good drizzle of olive oil (about 1 to 2 tablespoons). Continue to blend until the feta is whipped to a fluffy, smooth consistency. 
• Drain and cut the potatoes. When the potatoes are fully cooked through and tender, drain them and allow them to cool just briefly so you can handle them. Using a sharp knife, carefully make a large cross-cut in the middle of each potato, but do not fully slice through the bottom. The wedges of potato should open up almost like a bloomed flower but the bottom should remain intact.
• Broil. Place a rack about 6 inches from your broiler and turn the broiler on. Transfer the potatoes to 4 separate ramekins or a small dish that can hold them snugly together. Drizzle with a good glug of olive oil and broil for about 3 to 5 minutes, watching carefully, or until the potatoes are crisp and golden brown on the edges. 
• Assemble and serve. Remove the potatoes from the oven and spoon the whipped feta in the center of each potato. Zest on the lemon and sprinkle the parsley on top to finish. Serve immediately.

What to Serve with Feta Potatoes

Meat and potatoes is a classic pairing for a reason, and the feta sauce goes particularly well with grilled dishes like Skirt Steak or Chicken Shish Tawook.

But don’t limit yourself! Fish is also lovely alongside for a lighter meal. I love all the colors and veggies in Mediterranean-Style Oven Baked Salmon in Foil or Mediterranean Salmon Kabobs.
For a satisfying vegetarian dinner, serve the potatoes as a main course alongside a protein-packed salad, like Kidney Bean Salad or Balela.

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