Foil Pack Potatoes

I have been making these potatoes for a long time.  They are perfect for summer because they take the heat out of the house.  I have to tell you, this summer is killing me.  The temperatures have been in the 90s for the past couple of weeks, which is abnormal for this area.  I’m pretty sure that we usually only reach 90 a handful of times for the whole summer, and definitely not in June. 

Anyhoo, back to the potatoes.  Have you noticed yet that most of my “recipes” are just vague instructions?  These potatoes are no exception.  I’m going to tell you how I made them tonight, and then I will tell you a few other ways to do it.  This is another one of those “recipes” that seem to be fail-proof.  The only times that I’ve failed while making them was when I just didn’t cook them long enough.

3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
olive oil for drizzling
seasoning salt
ground pepper
heavy duty foil, or use two thicknesses

Preheat your grill.

Put your potatoes in a bowl with the onion.  The smaller your cubes are, the faster your potatoes will cook.  Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top.  Shake a good amount of seasoning salt and pepper over everything.  I don’t measure, but the top should be pretty orangey from the salt.  Toss to coat it all evenly.

I only had regular foil, so I used two thicknesses.  I have made them with only using a layer of regular foil and they have more of a tendency to burn that way.  Lay either your one heavy duty layer or your two regular layers on the counter.  Dump the potato mixture on top of the foil and spread it out evenly.  Use another layer, or two layers, or foil on top.  Fold the edges up toward the middle, making a nice package.



When the grill is hot, put the foil package on the top rack of the grill, not directly over the heat.  After about fifteen minutes, turn it over.  Let it cook for another 15 minutes.  At this point, you can take it off the grill and very carefully undo a corner to check the tenderness of the potatoes.  I say to do it very carefully because there will be steam escaping and it could burn you.  The time is a variable because it depends on how big your potatoes were cut and how hot your grill is.  If they aren’t quite soft enough, put them back on the grill.

I serve these right out of the foil.  Why bother having to wash another dish if you don’t have to?

Now for some variations.  The sky is the limit.  I used russet potatoes because that is what came in the baskets this week.  You could use any variety.  When I use reds, I usually keep the skins on.  Their skin is a lot thinner than russets, so maybe that is why you see them most often cooked with their skins on.

I like using the olive oil because of the health factor, but you could use butter or any other oil. 

Instead of the seasoning salt, you could use dry ranch mix, Italian dressing mix, grilling seasoning like Montreal Chicken, etc, or Mrs. Dash’s seasoning.  Or whatever else you can think of.  Taco seasoning, maybe?

When I use the ranch mix, after it is done cooking, I open the package and generously sprinkle cheddar cheese on top, then close the package again for a few minutes to let the cheese melt.

So that how I do it.  I’d love to hear your experiences with it, either doing it my way or your own.