Grilled Red Potatoes – Slender Kitchen

These Grilled Red Potatoes couldn’t be any more delicious and are so easy. After spending way too many years making potatoes inside while I grilled the rest of dinner, I am excited to finally move our entire meal outside. They make a great side dish along with these easy grilled vegetables or grilled broccoli.

Grilled potatoes are defintiely something you need to make immediately. Am I the only one who hasn’t been doing this for years? I mean, there have been so many times over the years when I am cooking something on the grill and just don’t want to have to turn on the oven as well.  But with a family who demands potatoes or starch at almost every meal, it used to be a necessity. Unless I went for microwave potatoes, but let’s be honest, they are never as good.

That’s where this simple grilled red potato side dish comes in to save the day.  The potatoes and onions are packed into aluminum foil packets and cooked right on the grill with a touch of butter and any spices you like.  You can go simple with salt and pepper or mix things up with Cajun spices, paprika, oregano, or Italian seasoning to match whatever you are serving. They can also be finished right on the grill to add some extra char. It’s an extra step, but totally worth it in my opinion.

Now while this base recipe uses aluminum foil, I am going to give you some different options depending on how you like to cook things. In my opinion, using a foil packet is the easiest since it doesn’t involve any sort of parboiling or cooking first, but you can use any method you like.

How to Grill Potatoes

There are three main methods for grilling potatoes and the key to each is making sure to get the outside crispy and the inside nice and tender, without burning anything.  Luckily it isn’t too hard to do and the effort is absolutely worth it. Grilled potatoes are something magical. Between the browned exterior, slightly smoky flavor from the grill, and soft and tender inside – they are really tasty.

1. Grilling potatoes in foil: The easiest option is to grill the potatoes in a foil pouch directly on the grill. Wrapping them in foil allows the potatoes to steam, ensuring they are cooked all the way through. It also helps prevent them from burning. Plus the potatoes, especially those on the bottom, will get a nicely browned from the heat of the grill. Depending on how large you cut the potatoes, they normally take between 30-40 minutes to be nice and tender. When it comes to flavor options, anything that works for roasted potatoes will work here as well.  Plus you can add onions and garlic for extra flavor. Plus if you find that your potatoes are quite charred enough on the outside, you can always place them directly on the grill after they have steamed in the foil.
2. Placing potatoes directly on the grill: Potatoes can be grilled directly on the grates, but it can be tricky to get the inside nice and soft without burning the edges. I find the best way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to cut your potato into thin slices that will cook quickly. Long, horizontal slices work great since they cook really quickly. Coat them in oil and your favorite spices. You can also cook wedges on the grill but you will likely need to move them to an indirect heat source after crisping up the outside so they don’t burn.
3. Precooking potatoes for the grill: For the most control, you can parboil or microwave your potatoes first so that they are tender before going on the grill. Cut the potatoes into whatever shape you like, then cook them in boiling water (or steam in the microwave) until they are just tender. Then toss them in oil and spices and place them directly on the grill or in a grill basket. Once they have some nice grill marks and release easily from the grate, flip them and cook on the other side. 

Here is a photo of what they will look like if you don’t place them on the grill after to brown the edges. They are delicious both ways.