bbq'd au gratin potatoes
During the summer we grill. A. Lot. The grill gets as much use as the oven does during the colder months...and that's pretty telling. We love the grill.
The only problem I have, is that when we are outdoors grilling, I want everything to be made on the grill, outdoors, in one location. I do all the prep and marinating indoors, but when that's done, and the grill is turned on, I don't want to go back inside. I want to be outside, with my friends and family, and not give the kitchen another thought.
This side dish was born out of that desire, and the wish for a starch other than a potato or macaroni salad. It's prepped indoors, but cooks outside, utilizing the heat omitted by grill to serve as an oven.
Ingredients:
6 small leeks, thinly sliced white and pale green only
bag of yukon potatoes (about 15 small potatoes), thinly sliced
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 Tbsp horseradish
2 Tbsp whipped cream cheese
2 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter (about 3/4 of a stick), thinly sliced
Directions:
Leeks are tricky things. You have to wash them. I'll repeat that again. You have to wash them.
They grow in sandy soil, which becomes trapped between their layers. In order to prevent a mouthful of sand, the easiest thing is to slice them first, dump the pieces into a strainer, and rinse. Thoroughly.
Once all sand is removed, pat dry and add them to the bottom of a heavy duty foil pan. I use foil on the grill, if not cooking with cast iron, because the flames and smoke can easily damage non-disposable pans. This way, I can throw away the whole mess when done; which makes my clean-up easier, and we all know how much I love anything that makes clean-up easier!
Add in the potatoes, and pats of butter.
In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, cream, horseradish, salt and cream cheese. Pour mixture over potatoes, leeks, and butter. Toss to coat vegetables.
Cover with tin foil and place on grill out of the way, on indirect heat. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces potatoes.