Chef on 'American Kitchen' shares common spice that turns ordinary potatoes into Mediterranean delight

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Easy holiday potatoes get Greek makeover with cinnamon seasoning and creamy tzatziki

Celebrity chef Shereen Pavlides demonstrates how to prepare rustic Cypriot cinnamon potatoes with lemon and herbs, guiding viewers through a homemade tzatziki sauce that pairs with the dish for an easy holiday side. (Fox Nation, "American Kitchen")

"American Kitchen" gets Mediterranean when celebrity chef Shereen Pavlides is joined by chef and restaurateur David Burke to explore a different way to use cinnamon in a dish.

In a segment from the new Fox Nation culinary series, Pavlides revives a nostalgic Cypriot staple from her husband's family: cinnamon-dusted potatoes paired with a cool, garlicky tzatziki. She puts Burke to work on potato-peeling duty while she takes viewers through the secret to proper wedges — "big, fat" chunky cuts that brown beautifully in the oven.

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"This is rustic — it's nothing refined," she says. "It's not fancy."

Known in Greek as "kanela," cinnamon plays the starring role, backed by fresh thyme, black pepper and kosher salt.

Chefs David Burke and Shereen Pavlides work together in the kitchen to make the cinnamon-dusted potatoes with tzatziki. (Fox Nation)

Cypriot Cinnamon Potatoes with tzatziki by Shereen Pavlides

Ingredients

4–5 Idaho russet potatoes

1/2 cup (1 20 ml) olive oil

2 tbsp (4 g) toughly chopped fresh thyme leaves 

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2½ tsp kosher salt 

1/2 tsp fresh finely ground black pepper

Directions

1. Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with the oil, thyme, cinnamon, salt and pepper until evenly coated. 

2. Grab two rimmed baking sheets and divide the potatoes among them, drizzling any remaining oil from the bowl over the potatoes. Do not use one sheet pan! If the potatoes are too crowded, they will steam and not get slightly crispy. Place one sheet on the upper rack and the other on the lower rack and bake until golden on the bottom, about 20 minutes.

3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and flip a spatula upside down to chisel under the potatoes from the sheet pans, to release, but don't break them. 

4. Flip the potatoes over and place them back into the oven, rotating the bottom sheet pan to the top rack and vice versa. Continue baking until tender and lightly golden, another 8 to 14 minutes. Don't brown them too much, or they'll lose the flavor of the cinnamon.

5. Remove the potatoes from the oven and serve with the dill yogurt on the side for dipping. Garnish with dill sprigs, because you're fancy!

Pavlides says the recipe is a staple from her husband's side of the family. (Fox Nation)

Tzatziki

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, finely grated

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

zest of 1 lemon

16 ounces 5% Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill + extra to garnish

1½ teaspoons dried Greek oregano

1/2 English cucumber

Greek sea salt

Good Greek extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Finely grate the garlic in a large bowl. 

2. Add the vinegar, lemon zest and stir to mellow the garlic. Let it set a couple of minutes. 

3. Add the yogurt, dill and oregano.

4. Peel the cucumber, cut it in half, lengthwise, and scope out the seeds. Grate the cucumber and ring out the excess moisture. 

5. Add the cucumber to the bowl. Season with salt and stir until well combined.

6. Transfer to a medium serving bowl. Drizzle olive oil over top and garnish with a few more dill sprigs.

The potatoes should be sliced long ways to create the best wedges. (Fox Nation)

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