Mastering the Grill_ The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking - Andrew Schloss [207]
INGREDIENTS (MAKES 4 SERVINGS)
1½ pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons canola oil
Oil for coating grill screen
Finely ground sea salt to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the grill as directed.
2. Slice the potatoes into slices that are as thin as you can make them, striving for less than 1/16 inch. Toss with the 2 tablespoons oil.
3. Put the grill screen on the grill and coat it with oil. Grill the chips in batches until browned at the edges, about 3 minutes per side. Remove with a spatula to a bowl and season with salt and with pepper, if desired. Keep grilling the chips until all are cooked and seasoned. Serve.
Photo: Grilled Potato Chips
Sweet Potatoes in the Coals with Lime-Cilantro Butter
You will no doubt be dubbed a grillmaster by anyone who watches you stick raw food directly into hot, burning embers. The simple truth is that any food that can be eaten out of its skin makes a good candidate for grilling right in the coals of a charcoal or wood fire. The skin will be left uneaten anyway, so who cares if it gets severely charred? That only adds to the smoky flavor within. Try this method with unpeeled baking potatoes or beets. The toppings are up to you, but we like to pair sweet potatoes with the Mexican flavors of lime, cilantro, and garlic.
TIMING
Prep: 1 minute (plus 5 minutes for butter)
Grill: 45 minutes
GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
• Long-handled tongs
TIP
• To make these on a gas grill, grill the sweet potatoes directly over high heat until blackened all over, 45 to 55 minutes, turning a few times.
* * *
THE GRILL
Charcoal:
Direct heat, red hot
12-by-12-inch bed, 1 inch deep
No grate
Wood:
Direct heat, red hot
12-by-12-inch bed, 4 inches deep
No grate
INGREDIENTS (MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS)
4 orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (3 to 3½ pounds total)
½ cup Sweet Lime-Cilantro Butter (a variation of Lime-Cilantro Butter, page 393)
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the grill as directed. Leave the grill grate off the grill so that the coals are accessible.
2. Nestle the sweet potatoes directly in the coals, raking extra coals around each sweet potato. Cook until a skewer slides in and out of the centers easily, about 45 minutes, turning once or twice.
3. Brush off any loose ash, then remove the sweet potatoes to plates or a platter, using tongs. Let cool for a few minutes. Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise and mash the flesh of each half with a fork. Drizzle evenly with the sweet cilantro butter. Allow guests to scoop the sweet potatoes from their jackets.
Vanilla Cauliflower
We tend to take vanilla for granted in ice cream and cake, but taste it out of context and its true exotic character blossoms. Vanilla is the fruit of a jungle orchid, and that’s the tropical fragrance that surprises in this spicy, slightly floral, intriguingly crusty side dish of grilled cauliflower.
TIMING
Prep: 5 minutes
Grill: 20 minutes
GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
• Grill screen
• Long-handled tongs or long-handled spatula
* * *
THE GRILL
Gas:
Direct heat, medium-low (300°F)
Clean, oiled grate
Charcoal:
Direct heat, medium ash
12-by-12-inch charcoal bed (about 3 dozen coals)
Clean, oiled grate on lowest setting
Wood:
Direct heat, medium ash
12-by-12-inch bed, 2 inches deep
Clean, oiled grate set 5 inches above the fire
INGREDIENTS (MAKES 4 SERVINGS)
1 large cauliflower (about 2 pounds), leaves removed
2 tablespoons canola oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Oil for coating grill screen
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Small pinch ground habanero chile, or other hot ground chile
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the grill as directed.
2. Starting at the base, cut the large curds from the stalk of the cauliflower. When you get near the top, the curds will become smaller; cut them from the stalk in one piece. Discard the stalk and cut all of the pieces of cauliflower in half lengthwise. Coat with 1 tablespoon of the canola oil and season with the