Great Ways to Prepare Barbecue Potatoes

Grilled potatoes are wonderful for their tastiness and simplicity. Although there are loads of BBQ potato recipes, we love these simple mixtures most - they're easy, they're delicious, and preparation is fast. Here are a few ways to prepare barbecue potatoes.

Thoroughly wash and dry each potato first. You can leave the skin on or peel them if you wish (but the skins have lots of nutrients, and they're deliciously crispy!). Whether you decide to grill the potatoes whole or cut them up, coat them lightly with a good-quality olive oil first. Then you can toss the potatoes with one of the following mixtures (if you prefer, you can mix the oil and the seasonings together before tossing with the potatoes). These are quantities for 4 medium-sized potatoes.

If you're new to barbecuing potatoes, read our tips in the BBQ potato recipes section.

Basic baked (grilled) whole potatoes: rub each potato with olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Wrap in foil and place on the grill.

Cheesy garlic potatoes: combine 2 tbsps fresh chopped garlic with 2 tbsps of parmesan cheese, and a sprinkling of dill. This is best used when grilling at a lower heat, as the parmesan tends to burn more easily.

Lemon-herb potatoes: combine 1 tbsp Italian seasoning mix with 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Apple-rosemary potatoes: combine 1 tbsp apple juice with 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp dried rosemary.

Bacon & onion potatoes: cook 2 slices of bacon until crispy. Drain. Slice potatoes thinly and coat with oil. Crumble bacon, and combine with 2 tbsp finely chopped onion of your choice (red, white, green), and 1 tsp freshly chopped garlic. Toss with the potatoes. If you like a bit of heat, add 1 tsp finely chopped red pepper.

Double-grilled potato skins: grill whole potatoes as above. When done, cut each potato in half and scoop out the middle, leaving just a "shell" of the potato skin and a thin layer of flesh. With a fork, mash the potato you've scooped out with a blend of 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp cream cheese (use sour cream if you prefer), 1 tbsp freshly chopped garlic, 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, sea salt to taste, and crumbled bacon bits if you like. You can use a blender for this step if you prefer, to 'whip' up the mixture and make it fluffier. Divide up the mixture into the 8 potato shells and return to the grill for re-heating. You can sprinkle chopped green onions on top too, if you like a little extra color.

New potatoes: if you've never had 'new potatoes', you're in for a treat. New potatoes are very young or immature potatoes - they're tiny, flavorful, and great on the grill! You can try them with any of the seasoning mixtures above. You'll need to use a grill basket or wrap them in foil to make sure they don't fall through the grill. We haven't yet seen new potatoes in our grocery stores but the farmers' markets often have them.

Add mushrooms: add small, whole, fresh button mushrooms to the foil packet along with your potato pieces.

Skewer them! for something different, cut your potatoes into 1" chunks (or use new potatoes). Boil them first, then drain, let dry, and season them as desired. Now thread them onto skewers - you can even add other veggies if you like, such as peppers or onions. Lightly oil a hot grill before placing the skewers on. Note -- make sure you soak wooden skewers in water for at least a couple of hours prior to use!

 

If you have the option of cooking your potatoes using indirect heat, try it -- we have found it to cook the potatoes much more evenly without the need to keep turning them. On our Big Green Egg cooker, we always cook potatoes on a baking stone over indirect heat.

Hope you enjoy these barbecue potato seasonings ... don't be afraid to experiment - potatoes are versatile, so go ahead and fiddle with the seasonings to suit your own tastes. Also check out more side dishes for BBQ!