How to Make BBQ Baby Potatoes?

When summer comes, you often have everything set: a date, invitations, a BBQ meat recipe, drinks, and maybe a portable speaker for good music as you enjoy summertime with your loved ones. But you can agree with me that settling on a perfect side dish is a big challenge, as your mind races from grilled veggies to fresh salads, pasta salads, corn on the cob, and any other warm-weather-friendly meal.

Breathe a sigh of relief and consider that problem solved. This grilled baby potatoes recipe is exactly what you need for your grilled pork, turkey, beef, or even those fish fillets. Despite being a staple food for many households worldwide, potatoes are often disregarded and are mostly used for deep frying and mashing. But there are many ways to enjoy your potatoes, from oven-roasted fingerling potatoes to baked French fries, air-fried French fries, and, of course, these grilled baby potatoes.

Grilling potatoes is a healthy way to enjoy this starchy vegetable. Despite being overlooked, potatoes have several health benefits. They provide nutrients like magnesium, are low in sodium and cholesterol-free, and are rich in fibre. It is how you cook them that determines whether they are healthy or unhealthy when consumed. That’s why you need a BBQ thermometer in all your cooking so that you can always cook your meals to the right internal temperatures.

While it is possible to grill any type of potato you come across at the market, the best for grilling are waxy-fleshed, thin-skinned varieties such as new potatoes, red potatoes, and Yukon Gold. However, Yukon gold baby potatoes win the jackpot because of their flavour and buttery texture, their ability to hold up on the grill, and their quick cooking time.

Tips on How to Make BBQ Baby Potatoes

• Parboiling – It’s possible to prepare your potatoes 24hours before the actual cooking time. This will save you 2 hours, down to about 45 minutes. Also, it will save you the disappointment of having burnt potatoes on the skin while waiting for them to cook inside. Use a kitchen thermometer to cook them to their right internal temperatures.

• Potato Cuts – Large potatoes the size of a tennis ball should be cut into ½-inch-thick rounds to produce grilled potato slices. If they are slightly smaller, cut them into quarters or halves. Also, since we aim for delicious, crispy, grilled baby potatoes, don’t remove the skin. For this recipe, we are using baby potatoes, which, as the name suggests, are small.

• Olive Oil – The use of olive oil plays a fundamental role in flavour by ensuring that the potatoes being roasted on the grill crisp and brown perfectly.

• Spice Blend – It is solely your choice to pick the spices you prefer, depending on your desired final flavour. For this recipe, we intend to use garlic-herb-flavoured potatoes as our final flavour. Our mixture will consist of garlic powder, oregano, and rosemary. Another option is a garlic/lemon combo or any other mixture of your choice.

• Grill Space – Make sure that the arrangement of your potatoes on the grill allows enough space for each potato to become crispy.

• Long Tongs – They will help you flip your grilled baby potatoes confidently and safely.

• Aluminium Foil – Potatoes covered with aluminium foil tend to cook well inside because no heat is lost. However, you should not cover them for long to prevent them from overcooking.

• Digital Food Thermometer – If there is a device that you should never forget when barbecuing, it’s a BBQ thermometer. It will help you in controlling temperatures from the beginning of your cooking to the end. Apart from causing foodborne illnesses, overcooked or undercooked food can affect the taste. Thus, you cannot afford to cook without it. We recommend using a Chefstemp Finaltouch X10 instant-read thermometer. 

It gives you quick readings in as little as 3 seconds, so your potatoes won’t burn while you wait for results. It has a widescreen and large figures, so it will take you a twinkle of an eye to read the observations. It has a backlight, so you don’t have to worry if you choose to extend your cookout till darkness falls. It is waterproof and therefore can withstand spillages, and much more. Now let’s get to our recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 Pounds Yukon gold baby potatoes
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly chopped herbs such as basil, rosemary, or any other for serving (optional)

Instructions

Step 1: Put all the spices in a small bowl and stir them together until they are evenly mixed. Drizzle oil over the baby potatoes, then sprinkle the spice blend on top. Alternatively, you can use a large bowl and mix the spices, olive oil, and your potatoes.

Step 2: Preheat the grill to about 375°F (190°C), then increase to 400°F (204°C).

Step 3: Season your potatoes using kosher salt before placing them on the grill. Also, repeat this before serving for a perfect flavour.

Step 4: Spread two large sheets of aluminium foil on the grill and arrange the potatoes. Seal them completely with another sheet of aluminium foil, then heat them to up to 260°F (127°C). Use your best cooking thermometer to keep the temperature under control so you don’t end up with smashed potatoes. Use a tong to flip them so they cook evenly.

Step 5: After 10 minutes, uncover them to allow the excess moisture to evaporate and also to crisp.

Step 6: Confirm that they are done to the right internal temperatures and remove them from the grill.

Step 7: Allow them to rest for 10 minutes until they reach a room temperature of about 165°F (74°C).

There you have your crispy charred outsides and soft, fluffy insides, grilled baby potatoes. You can serve them as desired. Store the leftovers in a fridge for up to 5 days. You can have them as snacks or serve them with any meal that you would serve with potatoes. Reheat at 350°F (177°C) in the oven until they reach the right internal temperatures, as indicated by your grill thermometer.