Pan Grilled New Potatoes

I love roasted new potatoes, creamy on the inside, with browned, crisp edges. Summer is new potato time, when they start to show up at the farmers’ market and in my CSA box. I already have the grill lit - it is summer after all - so I like to pan-roast new potatoes on my grill.

My CSA started sharing new potatoes this week, finally. This has been a bummer of a summer for my CSA’s farmers. Pouring rain, a July that couldn’t get out of the 70°s…everything is behind this year.

Halved new potatoes are perfect for pan grilling, small enough to finish cooking in the time it takes for the cut side to brown. I toss the potatoes with salt, pepper, olive oil, and fresh herbs. Then I preheat the grill pan over direct heat, slide it over indirect heat, and pour the new potatoes onto the pan, flipping them all cut side down. I close the lid, and thirty minutes or so later, my potatoes are ready to serve.

Move beyond the big hunk of meat on the grill. Look to the sides as well!
OK, that sounded a lot more heroic in my head.

Recipe: Pan Grilled New Potatoes

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Equipment

Heavy, 12 inch grill safe fry pan (Cast iron is best for this recipe. I use Weber’s cast iron griddle, or my cast iron fry pan.)
Grill (I love my massive Weber Summit)

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds redskin new potatoes, halved
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or rosemary, or both)

Directions

1. Set the grill up for indirect medium heat

Preheat the grill, and set it up for indirect medium heat (350°F). On my Weber Summit, I preheat the grill with all burners set to high for 15 minutes, brush the grill grate clean, then I turn all the burners off except for the two burners on the left (burners #5 and #6), which I turn to medium. This gives me a two zone fire - indirect heat over burners 1 to 4, and direct medium heat over burners 5 and 6.

2. Season the potatoes

While the grill preheats: Put the halved potatoes in a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, drizzle with the vegetable oil, add the thyme sprigs, and toss to coat.

3. Pan grill the potatoes

Put the grill pan over direct heat, close the lid, and preheat the pan for five minutes. Move the pan over indirect heat and carefully set the potatoes in the pan, cut side down. Drop the thyme sprigs on top of the potatoes, close the lid, and cook until the potatoes are easily pierced by a paring knife and crispy and brown on the bottom, about 30 minutes. Remove from the grill, slide a spatula under the potatoes to loosen them from the pan, transfer to a platter, and serve.

Notes

If the potatoes are browning too quickly, flip them over, skin side down, and let them finish cooking through with the cut side up. If the potatoes aren’t browned enough, but are cooked through, slide the grill pan back over direct heat to crisp up the cut side.
For a charcoal grill, this recipe takes a careful timing. The potatoes will probably take longer to cook than the main course, and I don’t want the charcoal to burn down too much before the main course starts grilling. I set the grill up with a two zone fire - half the grill with direct heat over the coals, the other half without any coals. I start cooking the pan of potatoes, and let them go for twenty minutes, before starting the main course. While the main course grills over direct heat, I let the potatoes finish over indirect heat.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Grill the whole meal, including the sides! Here are some ideas:
Grilled Peppers and Onions
Grilled Corn with Chipotle Lime Butter
Foil Pouch Grilled Green Beans

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