Grilled Foil Pack Potatoes
Grilled Foil Pack Potatoes are the perfect side to accompany a grilled main course. They’re quick & easy, tasty, and accommodate many special diets.
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When I met Mr. Dreamboat almost 20 years (!) ago, he had a small repertoire of dishes he would cook. Grilled foil packs of vegetables were among this repertoire. The foil packs could contain a variety of vegetables, but usually had potatoes in them.
Unfortunately, this dish had its problems. Vegetable cooking times vary, but cooking potatoes from raw often takes a long time. This can create problems on the grill, because if the grill temperature isn’t set correctly, the potatoes can end up charring before they cook.
For Grilled Foil Pack Potatoes to come out perfectly (the potatoes are melt-in-your-mouth tender, with just the right amount of grill char on the edges only), a two-part cooking method is necessary.
The key is microwaving (or boiling) the potatoes before grilling them in their foil packets. This saves a ton of time on the grill, prevents inedible charred but raw potatoes, and takes under 30 minutes from start to finish.
How to Make Grilled Foil Pack Potatoes
Start with unpeeled yellow (Yukon Gold) potatoes of any size. Cut them into bite-sized pieces and put the pieces in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl (you could use a lid, a plate, or plastic wrap) and microwave for 4 minutes. Remove the bowl, stir the potatoes, cover again, and microwave for 3 more minutes. Remove the bowl again (be careful, it’s probably hot), and the potatoes should be tender.
While the potatoes are in the microwave, stir together the seasoning mix (salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and cayenne), which helps to ensure that the potatoes are evenly seasoned. After you take the potatoes out of the microwave, toss them with some olive oil and the seasoning mixture.
Now it’s time to start up the grill – turn it on to high heat. It should be hot by the time you’ve got your foil packs ready. While the grill is heating, tear off 4 pieces of heavy-duty foil that are 8-10″ (20-28cm) long. Note that regular aluminum foil isn’t quite sturdy enough to make these foil packs.
Divide the seasoned potatoes into 4 equal portions and place one portion in the center of each piece of foil. Gather the long edges of foil together and fold them over twice to crimp them shut. Crimp both of the short sides shut as well. Repeat this with the remaining pieces of foil to make 4 separate packets.
Clean off the grates of your grill with a bristle-free grill brush, and reduce the heat to medium. Place the foil packets on the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the packets and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the foil packets from the grill. Carefully open the packets and serve the potatoes.
Grilled Foil Pack Potatoes Ingredients
- Yellow potatoes (aka Yukon Gold Potatoes) – the size of potatoes that you use doesn’t really matter here. If your potatoes are larger, you will need fewer of them and cut them into more pieces. The opposite applies for smaller potatoes. You do not need to peel the potatoes before cutting them.
- Kosher salt
- Smoked paprika – Smoked paprika is much more flavorful than regular paprika and lends a delicious smoky flavor. However, if regular (sweet or hot) paprika is all you have, you can use that instead.
- Garlic powder – Garlic powder works better in this recipe than fresh garlic because there is no risk of it burning on the grill.
- Onion powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper – I used only a very small amount of cayenne because my kids aren’t crazy about spicy food. However, feel free to use up to 1/4 teaspoon for spicier potatoes.
- Olive oil – Or substitute any neutral-flavored cooking oil.
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Grilled Foil Pack Potatoes Nutrition Notes
Note that while the potatoes are cooked in 4 foil packs for even grilling, this recipe serves 6 people. If your portion is larger (or smaller) than 1/6th of the recipe, the nutrition information in the recipe below will vary accordingly.
This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan as written.
Grilled Foil Pack Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut 2 pounds yellow potatoes into 1 to 1½" (2.5-4cm) pieces (My potatoes were quite small and I cut them into 8 pieces. If your potatoes are larger, you will need to cut them into more pieces).
- Place the cut potatoes into a medium to large microwave-safe bowl and cover with a plate or microwave cover. Microwave on high for 4 minutes, then take out and stir or shake to redistribute the potatoes. Return to the microwave again for 3 more minutes. The potatoes should be mostly cooked through. Discard any liquid that has accumulated at the bottom of the bowl. (Alternatively, the potatoes can be par-boiled on the stovetop for 5-7 minutes).
- While the potatoes are cooking, stir together 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1 pinch cayenne pepper (note that combining the spices before adding to the potatoes helps to ensure that the potatoes are evenly seasoned).
- After draining the potatoes, stir in 1 Tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle the spice mixture over the potatoes and toss until the seasoning is evenly distributed.
- Cut four 8-10" (20-28cm) pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil. Divide the potatoes into 4 equal portions and place one portion onto the center of each piece of foil. Gather the long edges of the foil together and crimp together by folding them over twice. Crimp both of the sides shut as well. Repeat this process to close all of the foil packs.
- Heat the grill over high heat until hot (10-15 minutes), scrape off the grates with a grill-scraper, and reduce the temperature to medium-high. Place the foil packs on the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the packs over, and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the packs from the grill and turn it off. Carefully open the foil packs and serve.
- Cook and season the potatoes and assemble the foil packets by completing the recipe through step 5. Store the seasoned, par-cooked potatoes in their foil packets in the fridge for up to a day. Complete the remaining steps of the recipe just before meal time.
Nutrition
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