Grilled Potato Wedges - A Low Fat Substitute For French Fries

A healthier, simple and low fat way of getting your french fry fix. About 150 calories and 2 grams of healthier fat per large serving, so you are now allowed to eat potatoes occasionally.

While in search of a recipe, most precooked in some way and then added a lot of various flavors but I just wanted basic and simple.

So I was on my own again. I took small russet potatoes, cleaned well, cut into quarters that look like wedges, brushed with a small amount of oil. A good coating of kosher salt and finely a touch of pepper. Grill and you have the side you want without the fat.

But I had problems. It would burn easy and should not be used over high heat grilling. So I repeated it with some aluminum foil to deflect some heat to see if I could use it over high heat (Yes) and without as much burning issue (Yes).

Rating:

Prep is easy but grilling takes your attention.

Two Techniques:

Technique #1 is direct grilling on the top rack of a gas grill. With this technique you MUST be careful to avoid burning the wedges. Turning every 3-4 minutes and watching closely for "hot spots" that will burn your dinner. Also should NOT be used if your meat is cooking on high heat. Takes about 22 to 24 minutes on medium heat.

Technique #2 involves "protecting" the wedges from some heat with aluminum foil wrapped over the grill rack. The potatoes cook a little slower taking about 25 minutes on high heat with no problem with burning.


Note:You should/can cook this along with your main course.My caloric estimate is based on 1 small potato per serving with an allowance of about 1/2 t of oil per serving. I cooked three but really two would have been plenty. A medium McDonald's fries is 380 calories and 19 grams of fat vs.150 and 2 for this with about the same volume.

Printable Recipe

Tools: A hot gas grill with an upper shelf. Not on high heat.

Ingredients:

Small russet potatoes (one per serving)
Olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Cover top shelf with aluminum foil if using technique #2 (recommended)
2) Clean potatoes well with scrub brush. Cut into quarters making wedge shapes

3) Brush lightly with oil on all sides

4) Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and a small amount of pepper.

5) Place on top rack of grill. Turn every 3-4 minutes until golden brown on all sides and soft to a squeeze. About 22-25 minutes. See above discussion on techniques.

Grilled Potato Wedges

by DrDan at 101 Cooking For Two August 22, 2010

A healthier, simple and low fat way of getting your french fry fix. About 150 calories and 2 grams of healthier fat per large serving, so you are now allowed to eat potatoes occasionally.

Ingredients

one per serving russet potatoes Olive oil Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1) Cover top shelf with aluminum foil if using technique #2 (recommended) 2) Clean potatoes well with scrub brush. Cut into quarters making wedge shapes3) Brush lightly with oil on all sides4) Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and a small amount of pepper.5) Place on top rack of grill. Turn every 3-4 minutes until golden brown on all sides and soft to a squeeze. About 22-25 minutes.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 2 servings

Updated

April 23, 2011