With their delicious flavor and unique texture, grilled potatoes enrich summer barbecues, family dinners and afternoon snacks. It may seem difficult to cook the inside of potatoes before the skin burns, but these vegetables are really easy to grill. Furthermore, it is possible to do this in a variety of ways. You can cook potatoes whole, halved, sliced or wedged, with or without the skin. You can also decide whether or not to use tinfoil. Try the recipes presented in this article and in no time you will be a real expert.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Grilling Whole Potatoes Wrapped in Tinfoil
Step 1. Wash the potatoes individually with fresh running water
Remove dirt with your hands or a soft sponge.
Step 2. Prepare each potato
With a sharp knife or potato peeler, remove the spoiled or green parts.
Step 3. Dab the potatoes to dry them
If they are dry they will absorb the oil, butter and other seasonings better, thus becoming tastier.
Step 4. Pierce the potatoes
Before wrapping them with aluminum foil, make holes with a fork, distributing them evenly over the entire peel. This favors a correct propagation of heat, so cooking will be more homogeneous.
Step 5. Wrap them with aluminum foil
Tear off aluminum foil for each potato you intend to cook and wrap it tightly. Make sure you cover it completely.
You can roll them in aluminum foil and close it on the ends as if it were candy. Alternatively, you can wrap aluminum foil around each potato and fold it on the sides to close it
Step 6. Place the potatoes on the grill
Turn it on and adjust the temperature to be high. Spread the foil wrapped potatoes on the wire rack. Bring them together and lay them on the hottest part of the surface.
If you need to cook a lot of potatoes, you can stack them evenly on the hottest part of the grill. This way you can turn them once the bottom row of potatoes begins to brown
Step 7. Cover them and let them cook
Close the grill lid and cook for 40 minutes. If you need to cook multiple rows of potatoes, flip them after 20 minutes. For those who try this method for the first time it is preferable to calculate slightly shorter cooking times and check the potatoes (the aluminum foil must be removed with kitchen tongs, otherwise the steam can burn you). If they are not cooked well, rewind them and grill them for a few more minutes.
- If they have browned but the pulp is not cooked, place them back on the cooking surface away from the hottest part and cover the grill.
- Cooking time is determined by the heat and size of the potatoes. Tin-wrapped potatoes usually take 30-45 minutes to cook when cooked with the grill lid down.
- In the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, you can remove them from the aluminum foil and return them to the aluminum-free grill. In this way, the peel will brown.
Method 2 of 4: Grilling Whole Potatoes Without Tin Foil
Step 1. Wash the potatoes
Rinse them with fresh or cold water to get rid of all traces of dirt. Gently scrub them with a sponge to clean them thoroughly.
Step 2. Prepare each potato
The green or brown parts may need to be trimmed. Use a sharp knife or peeler to remove the spoiled parts.
Step 3. Dab the potatoes to dry them
If you are going to season the peel, remember that dry potatoes absorb seasonings much better.
If you won't wrap them in aluminum foil, don't pierce the peel. Making holes disperse the moisture, so the potatoes will dry out
Step 4. Brush oil on the peel
This way they won't stick to the grill and the peel will become more crunchy.
Mix cooking oil and a small amount of butter, salt, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl to create a savory dressing
Step 5. Skewer the potatoes onto metal skewers
This process makes cooking easier. Depending on the size, each skewer should have 3-4 potatoes.
If you prefer, you can also place the potatoes directly on the grill
Step 6. Grill the potatoes using indirect heat
Place the skewers on the edge of the grill, away from the direct heat source.
Step 7. Cook the potatoes
Cook them using indirect heat for 30-40 minutes, with the grill lid down. Gradually turn them towards direct heat.
Method 3 of 4: Cook Potatoes in wedges or sliced
Step 1. Wash the potatoes
Rinse them with fresh water and scrub them with a soft sponge.
Step 2. Eliminate the bad parts
Most potatoes have some green or brown spots. Remove them with a sharp knife or potato peeler.
Step 3. Peel and soak them in water (optional)
Remove the peel completely with a potato peeler or a sharp knife. Then remove any green or otherwise spoiled parts that are left. At this point, immediately put them in cold water until they are ready to be cooked or cut the way you want.
- Cold water prevents the outer surface of the potato from darkening.
- When peeling or cutting potatoes, always move the tool in the opposite direction from your body.
Step 4. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into slices 10-12mm thick
You can cook them like this or cut them further to get wedges or cubes.
Step 5. Season the potatoes
Brush with cooking oil and other seasonings immediately.
- Season the potatoes immediately to prevent them from browning and sticking to the grill when you put them to cook.
- In a small bowl, mix cooking oil with a small amount of butter, salt, pepper and garlic to flavor them.
Step 6. Place the potatoes directly on the grill
Place them towards the central area of the cooking surface, with one of the cut parts facing downwards. If you have cut them into small pieces, you can place them on aluminum foil or stick them on skewers before cooking them to prevent them from falling into the openings.
Step 7. Cook the potatoes
Set the grill to medium temperature and cook for 5-6 minutes, then flip them. Cook them on the other side for 5-6 minutes. If you cut them into wedges, turn them once more to rest the curved part (the peeled part) on the cooking surface. They should soften and brown. Serve hot.
Method 4 of 4: Season the Grilled Potatoes
Step 1. Before grilling the potatoes, season them as you like
Try olive oil and coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, or a few flakes of chili and chopped evergreen herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, or sage.
You can also try garlic, butter, flavored salt, or any other spice
Step 2. Make a sauce and use it to coat the potatoes before grilling them
Try mustard, mayonnaise, and herbs. Set some aside and use it to dip cooked potatoes.
Step 3. Make a dry spice mix
Coat the potatoes well with olive oil before sprinkling your favorite dried spices all over the surface. Also rub it on the edges and sides.
Try salt, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, allspice, freshly ground black pepper, and dried thyme. If you want, you can add a teaspoon (or half) of salt and a pinch of sugar
Step 4. Serve the potatoes with other vegetables
If you want to create "packets" of baked vegetables, try adding several to create unique flavor combinations. Sliced onions, carrots and zucchini all go well with grilled potatoes.
Advice
- Sweet potatoes can also be grilled, wrapped with foil or without.
- After cutting or slicing the potatoes for grilling, make individual "packets" when you wrap them in aluminum foil. Your guests can take them directly from the grill.
- To make the whole potato peel crisp, remove it from the aluminum foil after 20-30 minutes and place it directly on the grill for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- To speed up cooking, blanch whole potatoes for 10 minutes, then let them grill for 5-10 minutes.
- You can also speed up the process by cooking each potato in the microwave: calculate 2-4 minutes per side (obviously without aluminum foil). Finish cooking them on the grill for 5-10 minutes.
