If I asked you to name a fragile food, you might start with eggs. Ice cream, for some reason, perhaps. It’s tough to break food. But it can turn south in a hurry. Those raspberries you brought home, the ones that became the science experiment on the back of the second shelf in the fridge? Yeah, that kind of fragile.
Potatoes? They can’t be fragile. Tough, hard, hearty. Not potatoes.
“And if you can’t use these today, what are you going to do?” asked Bob Kiley of RSK farms. He was at the Kingston farmer’s market deciding, once again, if I deserved to possess his products. Bob has the largest fingerling potato farm in the Hudson Valley. Everyone wants his potatoes, but he decides who gets them. Restaurants have been disappointed when they failed to make his list.
“What are you going to do?” he repeated.
“Refrigerate them,” I replied carefully. And waited. I wanted those potatoes. I needed those potatoes.
“That’s right,” Bob said as he emptied the green box of potatoes into a bag. You can’t take home his farm containers. He’s green.
These new potatoes of his were new. They were still in the ground the day before. Now they sat on his table, washed, with their truly fragile skins partially cascading off. People drive a long way to get his potatoes at the Saturday market. If you have tasted one, you’d travel, too.
Today was market day, and, after we had safely secured our two pounds worth, I asked, “Any new ideas about what to do?”
“Have you roasted?” Bob asked. We said no and he gave us this easy and substantial recipe below. You cook the potatoes as you are warming up your grill for meats, and when the meat is done, so will be these potatoes. They are rich, moist, and the perfect complement to a deep red steak. You can serve these directly from your grill, no butter or frills necessary. Perhaps just add more salt and pepper and enjoy the true meaning of freshness. Next time you are in a supermarket and look at potatoes that were last in the ground six months ago, you’ll weep.
And, if there are any leftovers for the next day, you can reheat them or use them the basis for a wonderful potato salad.
Bob’s Gas Grill New Potatoes
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh new potatoes
1 medium onion
1 head of garlic
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Herbs of choice: such as a teaspoon each of fresh rosemary and thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Carefully wash the potatoes and cut into bite size chunks. Place into a bowl. Cut the onion in a medium dice and add to the bowl. Break up the individual cloves remove the skins and add to the bowl.
Drizzle on the olive oil, then add the herbs. Toss with your hands to coat the potatoes. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper
Place a double-thick 18” square of foil down, and empty the bowl in the center. Spread the potatoes, onion and garlic evenly over the square to within 2” of the edge.
Cover with another 18” square of foil and seal the edges, forming a tight packet.
Turn on your gas grill and have one of the side burners on low. Place the packet over that burner. Set the other burners to the heat for your desire for your meats. Allow the grill to come to grilling temperature.
As you are grilling your meats, shift the foil packet around. The potatoes will be cooked after about 30 minutes of total cooking time, which may coincide with your meat time or it may not. Do not overcook the potatoes.
Remove from the heat, carefully open the packet [there is steam inside!], and serve immediately.
Source: Bob Kiley of RSK Farms