Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Rinse the baby potatoes and cut each one in half, (or thirds if they are bigger.)
Add to a large saucepan, cover with cold water and stir in a good tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of baking soda.
Bring to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until a fork just goes through them.
Drain the potatoes and let them sit in the colander to dry a bit.
Zest your lemon and set aside the zest then juice the lemon and set aside the juice.
Strip your thyme leaves off the woody stems and set aside. (Discard the stems.)
In a cast iron skillet heat the oil and butter over medium heat until the butter has melted.
Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minutes until lightly browned.
Add the lemon juice, the thyme and 3/4 of the lemon zest. Add the potatoes and gently toss everything together.
Sprinkle in your salt, pepper, oregano and smoked paprika. Toss lightly again.
Make sure the potatoes line the skillet in a single layer and place the whole skillet in the oven on the very top shelf for 15-18 minutes flipping the potatoes half way through.
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven, (the handle will be burning hot so use good pot holders), and sprinkle remaining lemon zest and the parsley over the top before serving immediately.