Bobby Flay's Grill It! (14 page)

1. Heat your grill to high.
   
2. Brush the figs with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and grill until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill, let cool slightly, and cut each fig into quarters.
   
3. Whisk together the vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, and thyme in a large bowl. Add the figs and gently mix to combine. The fig mixture can be made 30 minutes in advance and kept at room temperature.
   
4. Brush the chops on both sides with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chops over, close the cover, and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each chop registers 150 degrees F. Remove from the grill and drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
   
5. Serve each chop on a large plate, topped with some of the fig mixture and drizzled with additional vinaigrette.
   

Makes approximately ¾ cup

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the port and red wine and boil until thickened and reduced to ½ cup, about 15 minutes.
   
2. Transfer the reduced wine to a blender and add the molasses, honey, balsamic vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper and blend until combined. With the motor running, slowly add the extra-virgin olive oil and walnut oil and blend until emulsified. The vinaigrette can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.
   

Greek gyros are traditionally filled with meat (pork or lamb mixtures) that has been sliced and stacked onto an upright rotisserie where it cooks, continually basting itself. This tender meat is then shaved off into thin slices that are rolled into a grilled pita with a garlicky yogurt sauce. Sounds delicious, right? Well, it is—so much so that I wanted to make a home kitchen–friendly version. Grilled pork tenderloin marinated in Greek flavors fills the bill. I added some color to the traditional sauce with diced tomato; capers add a nice briny note. I like to serve this gyro with tender baby spinach instead of lettuce for a little extra flavor and with sweet red onions for crunch.

Serves 4

1. Whisk together the oil, wine, garlic, and oregano in a baking dish. Add the pork and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
   
2. Heat your grill to high.
   
3. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown on all sides and cooked to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing into ¼-inch-thick slices.
   
4. While the pork is resting, grill the pita pockets for about 10 seconds per side. Transfer to a cutting board and slice off the top inch of each pita.
   
5. Fill each pita with sliced pork, some spinach and onion, a few spoonfuls of yogurt-tomato sauce, and a sprinkling of diced tomato.
   

Makes approximately 1½ cups

Stir together the yogurt, garlic, cucumber, tomato, capers, dill, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before serving.

French-Style Grilled Potato Salad

“Old Bay” Grilled Steak Fries

Grilled New Potatoes and Zucchini with Radicchio, Goat Cheese, and Aged Sherry Vinaigrette

Grilled Potatoes with Spicy Tomato Mayonnaise

Grilled Potato and Goat Cheese Napoleon with Balsamic-Basil Vinaigrette

Grilled New Potato Salad with Bacon and Buttermilk Dressing

Vinegar and Salt Grilled Potato “Chips”

Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges with Spicy Cranberry-Bourbon Glaze

Grilling might not be the first cooking method you think of when you’re hungry for potatoes, but you’d be surprised at how well the two take to each other. There’s no reason that the potato shouldn’t get its fair share of smoky taste and gorgeous grill marks. Beyond that, there’s also something incredibly satisfying about being able to offer a complete meal from the grill—you know, your standard meat and potatoes. A quick parboil is all you’ll need to do inside before taking everything you’ve got out to the grill.

There are tons of potatoes out there and I find a use for just about all of them. I love the gorgeous yellow flesh of Yukon Golds, the tender flesh of baby red bliss potatoes, and the funky shapes of fingerlings; and for beautifully starchy potato-ness, it’s hard to beat an Idaho russet. The different types of potatoes have varied growing seasons, so be on the lookout for local varieties. Russets and Yukon Golds are available year-round, thin-skinned new potatoes are in season from late winter through mid-summer, the red bliss take over mid-summer through fall, and fingerlings are available from October through April.

Another year-round favorite is the sweet potato. They are packed with nutrients and are incredibly delicious. They’re one of my kitchen staples as I love how their natural sweetness contrasts with so many of the smoky and slightly spicy flavors that I use. I substitute sweet potatoes in potato preparations all the time; feel free to do the same with the recipes here.

All potatoes should be firm and relatively smooth and even in color. Look for ones that are free of eyes and blemishes and have no green tint, soft spots, or sprouts. Potatoes should be stored in a cool and dry area. The refrigerator is not recommended because the super-low temperature converts the potatoes’ starch to sugar, which changes their texture.

This potato salad is mayonnaise-free so it’s perfect for a picnic. In fact, I actually recommend that you serve it warm or at room temperature and not chilled. The use of red and yellow potatoes is purely aesthetic, so feel free to use just one or the other if you’d like. Chervil is used a lot in French cooking, and to me, it tastes like a lightly anise-flavored parsley. If you can’t find chervil, substituting equal parts tarragon and flat-leaf parsley will produce a comparable flavor.

Serves 4

1. Put the potatoes in a pot of salted cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly before slicing in half.
   
2. Heat your grill to medium.
   
3. Brush the potatoes with ¼ cup of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes on the grill, cut side down, and grill until lightly golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the potatoes over and continue grilling until just cooked through, about 4 minutes longer.
   
4. While the potatoes are grilling, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and the remaining ¼ cup oil in a large bowl. Add the garlic, red onion, cornichons, and capers, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
   
5. Remove the potatoes from the grill, immediately add to the bowl with the other ingredients, and gently stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. Stir in the chervil before serving.
   

Old Bay is a spice blend originally used in the Chesapeake Bay area and made famous for its use in shrimp, crab, and other seafood dishes. It may be traditionally used in seafood dishes, but I like to play with that notion a little bit and use it to spice up a side dish and these steak fries certainly fit the bill. While the actual recipe for Old Bay is a carefully guarded secret, this homemade spice mixture has all of those favorite flavors: celery, mustard, bay leaf, and ginger. Serve these with
Grilled Lobster Rolls with Lemon–Black Pepper Mayonnaise
or
Perfectly Grilled Whole Lobsters
.

Serves 4

1. Combine the bay, celery salt, mustard, paprika, black and white peppers, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger, chile flakes, and cardamom in a small bowl.
   
2. Put the potatoes in a pot of salted cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, but still firm, about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool before cutting each potato lengthwise into 8 thick slices or spears.
   
3. Heat your grill to high.
   
4. Brush the potatoes with the oil and season with the spice rub. Grill until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with chives and parsley, if desired.