Burgers and fries might be a culinary power couple, but if you’re already using the grill for burgers, you can’t go wrong with these grilled potatoes. Cooked until lightly charred, and drizzled with a bright green herb sauce, these simple spuds will make you wish every night was a cook-out.

While these potatoes are great on their own, I highly recommend drizzling them with this bright, herbaceous sauce. Inspired by Italian salsa verde, it provides a great contrast to the potato’s smoky meatiness—plus it comes together in just a few minutes in the food processor. If you have leftover sauce, it’s also great spooned over steak or chicken or served with raw veggies.

How To Make Grilled Potatoes

Unlike more delicate vegetables such as asparagus, zucchini, or eggplant, potatoes are too dense to cook completely from raw on the grill. Boiling them in salted water before grilling jump-starts the cooking, ensuring that they reach perfect tenderness in the same amount of time it takes them to char on the grill. While I experimented with parcooking in the microwave, I found that the salted water was key to ensuring the potatoes were seasoned from the inside out. Potatoes that were microwaved tasted noticeably flatter, no matter how much salt I sprinkled on after the fact. Turns out sometimes you just can’t shortcut flavor!

INGREDIENTS

• Yukon Gold Potatoes: These all-purpose potatoes are ideal, since their moderately waxy texture helps prevent them from falling apart on the grill.
• Kosher Salt: I prefer to use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, since the size of the granules make it easier to season evenly without overseasoning. If you have Morton, I recommend using about the half the amount called for in the recipe.
• Basil: Fresh finely chopped basil forms the backbone of the herby green sauce that accompanies the potatoes. Pack the basil tightly into the cup when you measure it—you don’t want to skimp on it!
• Parsley: Make sure to pick the parsley leaves off the stems before adding to the food processor. Unlike cilantro stems, which have tons of flavor, parsley stems are NOT delicious.
• Garlic: A bit of fresh garlic sharpens the fresh, herby sauce. Roughly chopping the clove before adding it to the food processor will ensure it breaks down fully in the sauce.
• White Wine Vinegar: The delicate acidity of white wine vinegar adds the perfect amount of zing to the herb sauce. If you don’t have white wine vinegar, you can also use apple cider.
• Capers: These add brininess and also a bit of zing to the sauce. I love the tiny capers, labeled “non-pareil,” but any size caper will work great.
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Since most of this oil is going into the herb sauce, it’s especially important to use an olive oil you love the flavor of. If you don’t like it on its own, you won’t like it when it’s in the sauce.

delish!