Cooking Tip: How to Grill Better Potatoes

Although I did use my grill a few times this past winter, the Saber has really been getting a workout recently. The nice weather inspires me to stand over the grates tending meat more so than the bitter temps we had to endure over the course of what some people consider the grilling off-season.

It was so nice this past Friday I didn’t even wait for supper, instead throwing a big moose steak on the fire about 2:00 p.m. for a little afternoon snack. For a side, T. Rebel and I went with a summertime grilling standby: potatoes and onions in foil. The prep is simple—just dice and slice—and we always have the most important ingredient—butter—on hand. Over the years, we’ve perfected the cooking method, too. Instead of just letting the potatoes steam in what is admittedly an unhealthy amount of butter, we discovered a little technique that adds a bit of crunch.

First, let’s backtrack: Make your pouch as usual, with a double-layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Pile in the diced potatoes and sliced onions, then top with several pats of real butter. Sprinkle salt and pepper (or your favorite seasonings) over everything and seal the pouch with a double or triple crimp. Then throw it on the hottest part of your grill and let it cook undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes.

When you add your steaks to the grill, flip the potato-filled pouch and, here’s the trick, puncture it will several holes. This lets all the steam escape. Once that’s gone, the potatoes and onions start to get crispy on the bottom. You can shake the pouch a few times to keep everything from sticking, but the more you leave it alone the crispier (and blacker) the potatoes get.