Grilled Baking Potatoes with Chives

When I grilled Garlic Rosemary Lamb Chops last weekend, I wanted to serve them with baked potatoes, to take advantage of our fresh chives (I love baked potatoes with sour cream, minced chives and a bit of freshly-ground black pepper), but I didn't really want to heat up the kitchen to bake the potatoes.    I could have wrapped the potatoes in foil and baked them on the grill, but from experience I knew that took a long time, so I decided to try something new.

I knew from making Grilled Potato Kebabs that sliced potatoes can cook up great on the grill.  The Kebabs had a slightly crisped exterior but were soft and moist on the inside.   I figured I could do something similar with large russet potatoes, but without having to use skewers, by slicing large baking potatoes lengthwise into planks.  Since I was going for more of a baked potato flavor this time around, I didn't use the same mix of seasonings as I used with the Kebabs.  I was going to go with just salt, pepper and chives, then got the idea to toss on some dill as well.  That turned out to be a good choice, as the dill added another pleasant flavor element without overwhelming the chives.   Unfortunately, the high heat we'd been having did in my dill plant, so I had to go with dried dill.

The results were really quite nice.  Although the russets didn't brown as easily as the small potatoes I used for the Kebabs, they had the same pleasant texture, and the seasonings tasted great.   As we ate our meal, I remembered to add some sour cream, which provided an extra baked potato touch, but if you aren't as fond of sour cream (or simply want to avoid the extra calories), these potatoes also taste great without it.

Grilled Baking Potatoes with Chives

yield = 2-3 servings

2                  large baking (russet) potatoes
1                  tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1                  tablespoon minced fresh chives
1                  teaspoon minced fresh or 1/3 teaspoon
                       dried dill
                    kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper,
                       to taste
2                  tablespoons sour cream (optional)

Scrub the potatoes thoroughly.  Slice lengthwise into thirds.

Lightly brush the potatoes on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle on both sides with chives, dill, pepper and salt.

Grill over direct medium heat until lightly browned on the bottom side (approximately 5-6 minutes) then turn and repeat on the other side.  Serve as is, or with sour cream if desired.