Savory Grilled Potatoes

Mother's Day. I cooked again — a standing rib roast, which I've been practicing on Sundays occasionally and which I have now done enough times to get right. The Gallagher Ranch beef, from a steer we processed in March, the first two ribs on the rack, roasted low and slow with nothing but salt and pepper. Served with horseradish and the same scalloped potatoes Mom makes from her mother's recipe, which has been in this family since before Patrick was born.

Mom ate her roast and then had a second small plate of just the potatoes and the drippings and said it was the best rib roast I'd made. I said I'd made it five times and this was the fifth and she said, "It shows." That's Colleen's version of a standing ovation.

She's sixty-one and still working at the school in Roundup. She's been the school nurse for twenty-three years — a fixture, the person the kids go to for things that aren't injuries, for the conversations they can't have anywhere else. She has stories from thirty years of school nursing that I'll probably never hear in full because discretion is one of the things she practices the way she practices everything — without announcement or performance. She's been doing the same essential thing for twenty-three years and she's going to do it until she retires and then she'll do other things with the same essential quality. That's Colleen Gallagher. Showing up. Always showing up.

I called Gary after dinner and said it had been a good day. He said, "Remember it." I'm writing it down. Rib roast for Mom. It showed, she said.

The rib roast got the headline, but Mom went back for a second plate of the potatoes — and that said everything. I’ve been thinking about a potato recipe that could stand on its own the same way, something you’d make when the main event is worth honoring but the side dish deserves to show up just as strong. These savory grilled potatoes are that recipe: no fuss, good heat, honest flavor. Colleen would approve.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 lbs Yukon Gold or red potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Preheat the grill. Heat grill to medium-high (about 400°F). If using charcoal, let coals settle to a steady, even heat before cooking.
Season the potatoes. In a large bowl, toss sliced potatoes with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and dried thyme until evenly coated.
Prepare a foil pack. Lay out a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Pile the seasoned potatoes in the center, fold the edges up tightly to seal into a packet, and press flat so slices are in a mostly single layer.
Grill the packet. Place the foil packet on the grill grates and cook for 20 minutes, flipping once at the halfway point, until potatoes are tender when pierced through the foil.
Open and char. Carefully open the top of the foil packet — steam will escape. Fold back the foil to expose the potatoes and continue grilling 8–10 minutes, turning slices occasionally, until edges are golden and lightly crisped.
Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving dish, taste for salt, and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately alongside roasted meats or with drippings spooned over the top.

Nutrition (per serving)

Savory Grilled Potatoes — The Side Dish That Stole the Show