Grilled Potatoes

You’re going to love this amazing Grilled Potatoes recipe; a simple recipe for a delicious side dish so good and so easy to make that they just might make you shelve your other potato recipes for the summer months. There are endless possibilities for these easy grilled potatoes!

You won’t need any foil for this great side dish. A great many grilled potato recipes call for roasting the potatoes in aluminum foil packets, but not this one! I prefer my potatoes to actually come in contact with the grill to pick up more of that divine smoky flavor.

It’s officially grill season – I mean, it’s ALWAYS grilling season in my world- so let’s dive into the details on the cooking process for this great recipe for an easy side dish with endless flavor possibilities. The best part of this recipe is how it accommodates just about any kind of potato you have on hand from new potatoes or baby potatoes to waxy flesh red potatoes or fluffy-on-the-inside Russet potatoes.

Best Grilled Potatoes

There are really no bad choices when it comes to the potatoes you choose for your grilled potatoes. Just remember each type of potato will yield slightly different results. With new potatoes or baby potatoes, you can either arrange them loosely on the grill or do what I do; thread them on a metal skewer for easy in turning and removal.

If you use potatoes that you have to cut down to size, I highly recommend using a grill basket similar to this one. It will prevent any potatoes from sticking to the grill as well as making removal far, far less frustrating.

I prefer to use new potatoes or baby potatoes for the very best grilled potatoes. Using these little potatoes with thin skins eliminates one admittedly easy step that becomes necessary only if you’re using any other potatoes.

If you’re unable to find baby potatoes, my next recommendation is red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes that are cut down into chunks about the size of baby potatoes. You’ll want to pierce them a couple of times with a sharp knife or jab them with a fork and microwave them for about 90 seconds before tossing them with the oil, spices, and aromatics.

Not a fan of microwaves? You can also par-cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 5 minutes before draining them thoroughly.

If you’re a sweet potato fan (like me!), you may want to change it up and make grilled sweet potatoes from time to time. Sweet potatoes also require the boil or microwave treatment before their spell on the grill.

And finally, if your pantry is well stocked with russet potatoes, you can cut them into long, thin wedges and cook them directly on the grill grates for the ultimate grill marks. You’ll get a crispy exterior and fluffy interior on these crispy grilled potatoes for the perfect side dish.

How to Grill Potatoes

If you’ve wondered how to grill potatoes before, I’m happy to tell you there are several methods and not all of them require a charcoal grill! You can use a gas, charcoal, or wood pellet grill, or a grill pan if you don’t have an actual grill!

To use a gas, charcoal, or wood pellet grill, you want to heat your grill using high heat and then scrub the grates clean. Cooking our potatoes is a job for medium-high direct heat. No need for a blazing inferno for these bad boys!

How to Cook Potatoes on the Grill

Cooking time will vary, depending on the size of the potatoes, but in general, raw baby or new potatoes take about 10 to 12 minutes to reach doneness once they’re on the hot grill.

Any potatoes you’ve par-cooked in boiling water will take about 5 to 10 minutes to achieve perfection. The long, thin russet potato wedges will take closer to 20 minutes, and will need a little more attention to be sure they’re not burning. You may find yourself moving them to cooler parts of the grill to finish cooking through once they have lovely grill marks.

If you’re going to opt for a grill pan, get the pan hot over medium-high heat and oil it using a silicone basting brush. If that’s not handy, you can roll up a paper towel, soak it in a little neutral, high-smoke point oil like vegetable, canola, or refined olive oil, and use tongs to wipe the paper towel over the hot grill pan.

I do recommend that you use par-boiled potatoes in one form or another on the grill pan since you’re basically looking to get lovely charred grill marks on the potatoes with the pan rather than fully cooking them on the pan.

What to Serve with Potatoes Cooked on the Grill

The sky is the limit when it comes to these grilled spuds. From Korean Barbecue Grilled Flat Iron Steak to Filthy Burgers (Beef, Barbecue Pulled Pork, & Bacon Burgers) to Big Batch Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken or Chimichurri Grilled Meatballs, we have a recipe here on Foodie with Family for everyone!

Are you a vegetarian? We have some seriously tempting vegetarian main dishes and veggie burgers here like the Roasted Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers with Smoked Paprika Chipotle Sauce and Taco Black Bean Burgers, just to name a couple.

And don’t you dare forget the drinks! Try our lightning fastFinnish Long Drink, Berry Kombucha Margaritas or Boozy Strawberry Basil Lemonade. Or bridge the gap between after dinner cocktails and desserts with our Pimm’s Cup Recipe Boozy Popsicles.

Grilled Potatoes

If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for an hour prior to grilling. Preheat grill to a HIGH temperature. If using a Traeger, set the grill to 450ºF.

Thread like-sized potatoes onto the skewers. Brush the potatoes all over with the oil, then sprinkle the salt and pepper over to coat evenly.

Arrange the skewers on the grill with space between them. Turn the potatoes about every 5 minutes, until they are golden brown on the outside and easily pierced all the way to the skewer when with poked with a sharp knife, about 20 minutes.

Serve on the skewers or wait until they have cooled enough to handle to remove them from the skewers. Serve as is or topped with butter and fresh parsley.

*See Notes in the printable recipes for full instructions on how to cook other types of potatoes.