Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Grilled Fingerling Potatoes

Last weekend, when it was about 75 degrees outside which is just the way I like it at the end of January, we stood outside around the grill and watched as these potatoes crisped over the open flame. If I were making these potatoes again today I’d opt for a grill pan inside on top of the stove since right now, it’s 50 degrees cooler than it was last weekend. The potatoes would still be great grilled inside, and the sour cream drizzle, chile powder, and chopped cilantro have a lot to do with their flavor. Although, if you do have the opportunity to place these on a charcoal grill, the added smokiness they'll attain will make them even better. I received a review copy of a new, little book from Sur la Table called Everyday Grilling. It includes 50 recipes covering everything from appetizers to salads, sandwiches, vegetables, main dishes, and desserts, and there are some great grilling tips too. An enticing photo sits next to each recipe, and I was immediately drawn to the grilled mozzarella and anchovies in chard leaves, the grilled cauliflower steaks with tahini sauce, and the grilled eggplant cannelloni with ricotta. There’s a stir-grilled chicken, mushroom, and baby bok choy dish prepared in a grill wok, and plank grilling recipes for salmon, shrimp, and papaya. There’s even a grilled banana split for dessert. The grilled fingerlings with their toppings looked like they’d be great as a side dish or as party food. The fingerling shape makes them naturally pick up-able, and the toppings are like those of a simplified stuffed baked potato.

I used French fingerlings but any oblong, little potato would work. They were par-boiled on the stove first. The goal of the initial cooking is to get the potatoes just tender but not completely cooked through. Then, they were drained, sliced in half, brushed with olive oil, seasoned with salt, and placed on a hot grill for about five minutes per side. Last, they were topped with sour cream that had been thinned with water to make it pourable. The chile powder sprinkle could be whichever kind you prefer, and I used a mix of ancho and chipotle powders. Last, chopped cilantro was added, and last weekend I had plenty of cilantro in my herb garden but I haven’t checked its status since the arctic blast arrived.

Pre-cooking the potatoes made them fluffy on the inside, and grilling made the cut surface crisp while lending flavor from the grill smoke. These were easier to prepare than potato skins or twice-baked potatoes, and the toppings were simple, fresh, and well-matched. It’s a fun, useful book, and I’ll be turning to it for grilling ideas year-round as long it’s warmer than 25 degrees outside.



30 comments:

  1. Simple, pretty and hearty. Isn't that the way all food should be? I love grilling and can't wait to try these (and to check out the book).

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  2. 75 degrees? I can only dream about that now.
    We are in the middle of an ice storm and have 2 feet of snow on the ground from last week.
    My grill is buried! Grilled anything sounds good right now!

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  3. last weekend was a tease. look what mess we are in now!

    I have been getting the fingerlings a lot and grilling them is probably the bestest (:-D) way to enjoy these lovely things.

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  4. That looks mouthwatering! I am a potato addict.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  5. 75 at the end of January? WOW you're so lucky, if I see 50 in my area i make some gyrates of joy

    the potatoes look so good. love the addition on the soup cream drizzle and just a little bit of heat from the chili powder.
    thanks for sharing Lisa, hope you're having a warm day

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  6. Oh my gosh, that looks soooo good! :P I've been craving potatoes like crazy these past few days and after seeing your crispy ones, I need to make some!

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  7. These look great! Are they the same as Desiree potatoes?

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  8. These look great! Love the crispiness factor.

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  9. I cook fingerlings all the time, and in fact am partial to them, but have never made them look this scrumptious. Nice one Lisa!

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  10. Are you serious? It went from 75 to 25? Where do you live? That's crazy!
    These fingerling potatoes are so cute! They're like tiny little potato skins.

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  11. These sound amazing. I don't use a charcoal grill often as I live in an aprtment but will surely try them soon.

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  12. These fingerlings sound excellent prepared on the grill, yum!

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  13. These little potatoes are adorable, and I bet they taste great, too!

    I am so jealous of 75 degree weather in January. All we have gotten is snow and ice rain!

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  14. Such a delicious and mouthwatering potatoes. I especially like the fingerling type too.

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  15. I usually shy away from grill books since they almost always are 90% meat. But this one sounds interesting. We don't use our grill much because no one likes to stand outside in the rain but I would do so for these potatoes!

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  16. I love those fingerlings, Lisa! They'd be wonderful on the grill. Definitely going to try this. Sound like a good cookbook too.

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  17. What a cute recipe! I won't mention the temperature here in L.A. today, or you will hate me

    ;-)

    Stay warm...

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  18. Such an awesome presentation of the simple old potato..., have I told you how much I love the potato...., no.... well I do, LOTS. Love this, looks wickedly tasty too.

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  19. You have a way of elevating even the most humble of food! These have my mouth watering like crazy! It's going to be ten below here in NY tonight.

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  20. Holy cow...yes it was in the 70's last weekend...that is just how I like it too! Our house hunting trip to Texas many years ago was in January and I never looked back! And the potatoes look yummy! Simple is usually better!

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  21. fingerlings are fun--all the tasty and textural goodness of a potato in a fraction of the time. nice pics!

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  22. Yum, I LOVE fingerling potatoes. What a great use for them. Now I want to make some soon!

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  23. Fingerlings are just too cute. I can't resist buying them when I see them....esp the purple ones. ;)

    This dish looks wonderful. Love the cilantro and chili powder sprinkled on top.

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  24. 75, oh, I'm jealous! This looks like the perfect way to dress up potatoes - yum!

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  25. I love making these. A staple with a grilled steak! These look wonderful!

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  26. Oh, to have that 75-degree weekend back again! Love that you mixed the chipotle and ancho on this. I usually use one or the other -- will have to try mixing them up and "grilling" some on the stove top grill pan. ;)

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  27. Yum, these sound amazing, there's just something special about the smokiness that grilling a potato imparts. I love the combination plus all the extras you added.

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  28. Hi, Lisa - I just featured this on my blog, The Ingredient List, where my St. Patrick's day edition focused on four common varieties of potato and how to cook with them. Thought you might like to see it - it's at http://theingredientlist.com/blog/2013/3/17/four-potatoes-and-how-to-use-them-a-st-patricks-day-special

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