Grilled Potato Fans with Onions

Last week of April and May is tomorrow and the wedding is five months away. May is when the farmers market really opens up and when the strawberries are at their best and when I begin to feel the summer coming in the afternoons on my apartment steps, the quality of the air starting to say something about what is ahead.

I have been working on the wedding menu in detail this week: fried chicken, Gloria's recipe, enough for forty people, which I have calculated requires twelve pounds of chicken minimum. Debbie's squash casserole, her corn pudding, and her potato salad. My mac and cheese, my collard greens, my sweet potato pie. Two cooks, two kitchens, one table. The wedding menu is a map of the people who made me and the people who chose me and the food that was both a language and a lesson throughout.

Crystal texted me a photo this week of something she made in her cooking class: a roasted whole chicken. She described the class instructor's instructions and I texted back: did she say tie the legs and pat the skin completely dry? She said: yes, how did you know? I said: my teacher told me those same things. She said: who taught you? I said: a woman who has fed me since I was fourteen. She said: you are lucky. I said: I know. She said: I am glad. I think she meant that she is glad I had someone. I am glad she knows it. I am glad I can tell her.

With the wedding menu taking shape this week—twelve pounds of chicken, two kitchens, a whole table of love mapped in food—I kept thinking about the side dishes that hold everything together, the ones nobody photographs but everybody remembers. Debbie’s potato salad is spoken for, but when I think about those long warm evenings coming in May, something grilled and buttery and good feels exactly right. These Grilled Potato Fans with Onions are the kind of dish that belongs wherever people who matter to you are gathered: unfussy, warm, and impossible to leave alone.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

Fan the potatoes. Place each potato on a cutting board between two chopsticks or wooden spoon handles — these act as guides to keep you from slicing all the way through. Cut crosswise at 1/8-inch intervals down the length of each potato to create the fan shape.
Season between the cuts. Whisk together the melted butter and olive oil. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, gently separate the potato slices and work the butter mixture between each cut. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper evenly over each potato, working seasoning into the slices.
Tuck in the onions. Take thin slices of onion and press them gently between the cuts of each potato, distributing them as evenly as you can. They will soften and sweeten as the potato cooks.
Wrap tightly. Set each potato on a square of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to wrap it completely. Drizzle any remaining butter mixture over the top, then wrap each potato snugly, sealing the edges well so steam stays in.
Grill over indirect heat. Preheat your grill to medium heat, around 375°F. Place the foil-wrapped potatoes on the grill away from direct flame. Close the lid and cook for 40 to 45 minutes, turning once halfway through, until a skewer or knife slides easily through the thickest part.
Open and finish. Carefully open the foil — steam will escape quickly, so mind your hands. Scatter fresh parsley over the top and season with additional salt if needed. Serve immediately, still in the foil for easy cleanup.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Potato Fans with Onions — The Recipe That Belongs at Every Table That Matters