When my wife was a child, her Dad would make a summer side dish that her whole family loved. He would slice potatoes and onions, season them and add a bit of oil. Then he would wrap it all up tightly in aluminum foil and throw it on a hot charcoal grill. After a short while he would retrieve the charred package from the coals and open it to reveal wonderfully dark browned potatoes and slightly burned slices of onion. Delicious!
She taught me to make these potatoes almost as soon as we got our first grill and we have been making them ever since. Sometimes we would use our gas grill with good result but we remained especially fond of the extra dark – almost burned – results we would get when we used charcoal. For this dish, hotter is better and charcoal can get much hotter than propane.
When I got the griddle plate for my Weber Q I realized that I had a new option when making this dish! Even though the Q is propane-fired, during preheating, I am able to build up a lot of heat in the griddle and it has enough thermal mass to maintain that heat throughout the cooking process. This results in the quick cooking time and dark brown crispness that, prior to using the griddle, I could only get from charcoal.
The recipe below is my version of Leonard’s Potatoes and can be made with gas or charcoal, with a griddle or foil. Give it a try and let us know how it turns out. However, these potatoes are truly delicious so if you pair them with an entree, make sure it is an entree with enough self confidence to stand up to some serious flavor competition!
Leonard’s Grilled Potatoes
Equipment
- A Charcoal or Gas Grill (A griddle plate works best but aluminum foil can also be used.)
Ingredients
- ½ lb Eastern Potatoes
- ½ Each Onion
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- To Taste Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Mise En Place
- Wash potatoes and cut into ¼ inch slices.
- Peel onion and cut in half from stem to root. With flat side down, continue cutting ¼ inch slices. Separate the slices. If you cut them correctly, each piece of onion should have a banana-like shape.
- Cut the butter into 2 or 3 small pieces.
- Combine all ingredients and mix well.
- Preheat gas or charcoal grill to high heat.
Cooking If Using Aluminum Foil
- Select a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to completely wrap the potato mixture. “Grease” one side of the foil with a small amount of butter or oil. Wrap the potatoes tightly in the foil and place on the grill 20-30 minutes.
- Remove from grill, open foil and serve.
Cooking If Using Grill Griddle
- Transfer potato mixture to griddle in a single layer. Cover and allow them to cook for about 5-10 minutes.
- Flip over the slices so that the 2nd sides brown. Cover & cook another 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from griddle to a bowl and serve.
Notes
As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts in the “Leave A Reply” section below. What’s your preference? Gas or charcoal? Foil or griddle? We would love to know what you think!