Grilled potato and pepper dish.

Ah... Spring has sprung, and I adore flowers.  I seem to have a knack with orchids as long as they are the thicker leaf type.  But wait ...you will also get to see my tips for growing food in containers very soon.

Right now though... let's talk about easy, and I mean EASY, potato and baby bell pepper side dish.  One of the things I love most about this time of year is the grill. It's my best friend when it comes to cooking in the spring, summer, and through most of fall.  I'll talk about the other grilled veggies and meats during the next few months, so stay tuned! 

So.... let's cook! 

The items you put into this dish can range from potatoes, onion, peppers, squash of all kinds, and even sausage slices, plus a ton of other items.


Here you have baby vidalia onion and a sweet onion, baby bells, red potato, garlic, and you could even add the asparagus (though it is being marinaded to be placed directly on the grill). 

Slice the onions into somewhat larger pieces, or if you prefer they can be smaller, however they have a greater chance of burning if they are diced.  The peppers I just leave whole or cut them in half after removing the stem.  The small red ones will be kept with the stem on for my recipe. 

The potatoes need to be washed  thoroughly with running water on the out side to remove any dirt.  Cooking will take care of any germs.  Remove any dark or brown areas with a pairing knife.  One large or two medium potatoes per person is what I base my calculations for servings.  Slice the potato in half length wise, then make wedges, cubes, or what ever shape you like.  Red potatoes seem to take a little longer to cook, so they can be long, but not more than an inch wide generally.  Nothing needs to be exact in this kind of cooking.  That's why it's so easy.  This is one of my camping recipes.  It can be made on any fire or in any oven. 

Unfortunately, the picture of the aluminum foil is not the greatest, but you can click to make it larger.  Put two layers of foil together and make it like a "trough" that will hold the veggies while you add ingredients to it.

Once you have the trough, you can safely add the onions, peppers, seasonings and potato, along with what ever else you want in this side dish.  Here I have added Italian seasonings (Tuscan), minced garlic (can also be added whole if you like), salt and pepper to taste.  If you add a seasoning blend that has salt as one of the top 3 in the list of ingredients, hold off and let everyone re-season their own.  Add a good olive oil (and as always, I like the Spanish olive oil best), drizzling it over the top of everything in the foil.  Next, add the potatoes.

Then drizzle with a little more olive oil to the top of this.  You may add more seasonings here, but it's usually not needed. 

I add two more pieces of foil, the same size as the bottom layer, over the top of the ingredients, however just one can work if you don't flip the packet of veggies over.  I like to keep that option.  On the long end closest to you, smooth the layers of foil, ensuring there is no vegetable under this edge.  Fold it over once, then fold that fold in half.  This creates a nice seal.  Do the same to the opposite long side.  Once you have the long sides done, it is easier to do the ends.  I give the ends an extra fold.  Once this is accomplished, shake the packet back and forth.

Hold both ends while you shake the package back and forth to mix the ingredients and spread the oil.  This packet can go directly on the grill that is on medium heat, in the oven at 350-375, or directly on a well watched fire edge (coals can be placed on top, however this is quite messy, but makes for a more even heat).  Do not put it in the middle of a camp fire as the foil may break apart from the extreem heat.  About 30 minutes is usually all you need for the potatoes to cook, as they will be the slowest to be ready.  Be EXTREEMLY careful in opening this packet!!!  The steam will burn you!  Let the packet sit for 5 or 10 minutes while you are finishing up your main meal.  If you have added sausage, you don't need anything else, except maybe a nice wine or beverage.  Speaking of wine..... a good Rioja from Spain would go great with this dish, as well as their Tempranillo.  Altos Del Cuco makes a nice blend of Monastrell, Syrah, and Tempranillo, for around $10.  Calina also makes a nice Carmenere, from Chile that would go well, also for around the same price.  There are many options with this dish, so consider the meat you will be having with this also.  See my last post for the wine we had with this meal.  If you have a good beef or buffalo steak, think a big, bold, Cab, or a juicy, brawny Merlot (mer-Low), as well as the other wines mentioned.  With fish or chicken, or wild bird, think Pinot Noir that is rich and jammy.

Enjoy and have fun cooking!