Grilled French Fries

I ask you why not? French fries and the grill... what could be more American than fries on the grill especially on a Fourth of July Weekend. There are only a few instructions out there and they vary a lot. So I always like to experiment and this is the 5th try in 2 weeks and I now have it right. They are not your basic fast food tasting fry. They are a cross between a fast food fry and a hash brown. And a great reason to buy that 10 or 12 inch cast iron pan you have though about. The important point about getting this right.

• Do thin fries-They need to cook completely on the grill. 
• They go on raw not precooked. I tried to varying amount of precooking and they became too weak to work with.
• Wash them after cutting. The starch will stick them together.
• Rotate the pan every time you touch the fries. Hot spots will do you in.
• Keep you hands off a lot more than you want. You will just break them up.
• A well seasoned cast iron pan is almost a must.

Rating:

This will continue to be a frequent side when not in diet mode. It is another KISS recipe that is easily scalable to the size you need but you will have a hard time doing a large batch. More than 2-3 pounds of potatoes should be a practical limit in a very large pan. Update August 9, 2011: I have repeated this with russet potatoes and they work as good if not better. With the russets, cut into fries then rinse well, then place on paper towels and allow to drain for about 10 minutes.

Preheat grill on high. Scrub the potatoes. I used Golden Yukon but others should work. About 1 pound for two servings. Cut into 1/4 inch fries. I used a mandolin.

Wash the fries in cold water and drain.

Add 1/4 cup of oil and mix well. Do not use olive oil since the grill temp will be high.

Add to a well seasoned grill safe pan. I used my 10 inch cast iron pan.

Place over high heat. Do not touch for 12 minutes then flip fries and rotate pan. Flip every 4 to 6 minutes. Use the shorter duration near the end of cooking. Be sure to scrap the bottom to prevent sticking and rotate pan with every flip.

Cooking about 30-32 minutes total until well browned.

Remove from grill. Place in paper towel lined bowl and sprinkle with course salt.

Grilled French Fries

by DrDan at 101 Cooking For Two July-4-2011

I ask you why not? French fries and the grill, what could be more American than fries on the grill especially on a Fourth of July Weekend.  The important point about getting this right. 

• Do thin fries-They need to cook completely on the grill. 
• They go on raw not precooked. I tried to microwave them first and they became too tender to work with.
• Wash them after cutting. The starch will stick them together. 
• Rotate the pan every time you touch the fries. Hot spots will do you in. 
• Keep you hands off a lot more than you want. You will just break them up. 
• A well seasoned cast iron pan is almost a must.

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/4 lbs. Potatoes (two medium)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• kosher salt to taste

Instructions

1) Preheat grill on high. Scrub the potatoes. I used Golden Yukon but others should work. About 1 pound for two servings. Cut into 1/4 inch fries. I used a mandolin.2) Wash the fries in cold water and drain. Add 1/4 cup of oil and mix well. Do not use olive oil since the grill temp will be high.3) Add to a well seasoned grill safe pan. I used my 10 inch cast iron pan.4) Place over high heat. Do not touch for 12 minutes then flip fries and rotate pan. Flip every 4 to 6 minutes. Use the shorter duration near the end of cooking. Be sure to scrap the bottom to prevent sticking and rotate pan with every flip.5) Cooking about 30-32 minutes total until well browned. Remove from grill. Place in paper towel lined bowl and sprinkle with course salt.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 2 servings

Updated

September 14 2011

DrDan