How To Cook Christmas Roast Potatoes On The Barbecue

Cook crispy roast potatoes on the BBQ this Christmas

Crispy roast potatoes are a must to accompany the turkey and for most of us cooking the Christmas dinner, oven space is at a premium, so the answer is to cook as much as possible outside on the barbecue. You don’t have to stand outside in the cold and watch the food cooking just pop out now and again to check.

You will need:

• Maris Piper or Desiree potatoes; peeled and cut into small pieces
• 2tbsp vegetable or olive oil
• sea salt

1. Place the potatoes in a plastic bag with the oil and the sea salt and evenly coat them.
2. Heat the BBQ to a medium heat and use the direct cooking method.
3. Place the potatoes in a single layer in a Weber Grilling Pan.
4. Turn every 10 minutes to ensure an even browning; they should take 40 – 50 minutes depending upon the size.

You can also cook the potatoes in the Weber Dutch Oven, again cook over direct heat on a medium setting.

Place some goose-fat in the Dutch Oven and add the potatoes, seasoned with sea salt, and a couple of crushed garlic cloves, when the fat is hot. Leave the lid off and cook for about 30 – 40 minutes depending upon the size of the potatoes. Turn after about 20 minutes to ensure an even crispness.

You can par-boil the potatoes first then drain and shake them around the pan to roughen up the edges, this cuts down on the cooking time and gives you more crispy bits!

For something a little different this Christmas why not try Hasselback potatoes; they are a cross between baked potatoes and crispy French fries.

Hasselback potatoes (recipe and image courtesy of Weber)

• medium, firm waxy potatoes
• 1teasp garlic salt
• 1teasp onion salt
• ½teasp ground black pepper
• ½teasp sea salt
• 1 – 2tbsp butter; melted
• 3 cloves garlic 
• 1 shallot; quartered
• 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Mix the onion and garlic salts, sea salt and black pepper in a small bowl.
2. Cut a slice off the bottom of the potato so that it sits flat.
3. Place the potato flat side down and cut thin vertical slices the length of the potato (see photograph), taking care not to cut all the way through to the bottom.
4. Arrange the potatoes in a Weber Drip Pan and place the cloves of garlic and shallot pieces between the potatoes.
5. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the dry mixture.
6. Heat the BBQ to medium – high and place the drip pan over the indirect heat area.
7. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes.
8. Brush with melted butter, cover and cook for a further 20 minutes.
9. Brush with more melted butter and using the Weber Premium heat-proof barbecue gloves move the tray to a direct heat. 
10. Take off the grill, loosely cover with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes.