Bobby Flay's Grill It! (15 page)

This colorful side dish hits all the right notes. The combination of tender new potatoes; mild zucchini; crisp, slightly bitter radicchio; and creamy, tangy goat cheese leaves nothing to be desired. Aged sherry vinegar has the depth of balsamic with just a little less sweetness. Sharp Dijon pulls together with the sherry and chopped shallot to make a bright, flavorful vinaigrette to bind all of the dish’s elements together.

Serves 4 to 6

1. 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 8 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.
   
2. Heat your grill to high.
   
3. Cut the potatoes and zucchini into ¼-inch-thick slices. Brush them on all sides with ½ cup of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the potatoes and zucchini until golden brown and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side for the potatoes and 3 minutes per side for the zucchini.
   
4. While the potatoes and zucchini are grilling, whisk together the vinegar, honey, shallot, and mustard in a medium bowl until combined. Slowly whisk in the remaining ¾ cup olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
   
5. Put the potatoes, zucchini, and radicchio in a bowl and gently toss with half of the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the potato mixture to a platter and top with the goat cheese. Drizzle with more of the dressing and sprinkle with the chopped chives.
   

Patatas bravas
are found in just about every tapas bar in Spain and with good reason: they are addictively good. In the classic version, the potatoes are fried and served with a spicy tomato-garlic–based mayonnaise, but seeing as I have to find a way to get almost everything on the grill, I tried grilling the potatoes
and
the tomatoes for the aioli, and the results were fantastic. I also added my own touch in the form of smoky chipotle chiles, which are definitely not used in Spanish cuisine.

Serves 4

1. 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, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and let cool before cutting each potato into ¾-inch-thick slices.
   
2. Heat your grill to high.
   
3. Brush the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes on the grill and grill until charred on all sides and soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop. Keep the grill on.
   
4. Combine the tomatoes, mayonnaise, garlic, paprika, and chipotle puree in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
   
5. Brush the potato slices on both sides with the remaining 4 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes on the grill, close the cover, and grill until lightly golden brown and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
   
6. Carefully transfer the potatoes to a platter and garnish with the parsley. Serve the mayonnaise drizzled over the potatoes or on the side.
   

A napoleon (in the culinary world, at least) originally referred to a dessert consisting of alternating layers of puff pastry and custard or some other sweet filling. These days it’s any dish of stacked ingredients, whether they be savory or sweet. It doesn’t take much more time or effort to slice and layer the potato and goat cheese in this manner, but the end result is really elegant in appearance. I also love the way each bite is dynamic in texture. This side dish really covers all of the bases: it has eye-appeal, is fun to eat, and has amazing flavor from the charred potatoes, tangy goat cheese, and sweet, fresh dressing.

Serves 4

1. 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, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and let cool before cutting each potato into ½-inch-thick slices.
   
2. While the potatoes are cooking, combine the vinegar, garlic, mustard, basil, and ½ cup of the oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
   
3. Heat your grill to medium.
   
4. Brush the potato slices on both sides with the remaining ¼ cup oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes on the grill, close the cover, and grill until lightly golden brown and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
   
5. Carefully transfer the potatoes to a flat surface. Make stacks by layering the following: 1 slice potato, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, 1 slice potato, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, 1 slice potato. Place the stacks back on the grill, close the cover, and grill until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute.
   
6. Transfer the potatoes to a platter, drizzle some of the vinaigrette on and around the potatoes, and sprinkle with the chives.
   

I love smashed potatoes with buttermilk and bacon, so why not take those same ingredients and turn them into a salad? This is sure to replace the egg-and-pickle-relish version of your childhood.

Serves 4

1. 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 not cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let cool before cutting in half.
   
2. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat until golden brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
   
3. Whisk together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, and mustard in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
   
4. Heat your grill to medium.
   
5. Brush the potatoes on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes on the grill, cut side down, and grill until lightly golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn the potatoes over and continue grilling until just cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.
   
6. Transfer the potatoes to the bowl with the dressing, add the bacon and green onions, and toss to coat. Serve warm or cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
   

I can eat an entire bag of salt and vinegar potato chips in a sitting. These “chips” may not have the crunch factor of the bagged variety, but they definitely have the taste factor going on. Be sure that the grill is heated only to medium when grilling the potato slices. You want them to cook slowly and get a really nice golden brown color on the outside; you don’t want them charred.

Serves 4

1. Heat your grill to medium.
   
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 into ¼-inch-thick slices.
   
3. Brush the potatoes on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the slices until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 10 minutes.
   
4. Remove the slices to a platter in an even layer and immediately drizzle with some vinegar and more salt.
   

I use sweet potatoes in everything—tamales, polenta, gratins—because I just love them. Even though the flavors in this recipe scream Thanksgiving, I eat these slightly sweet, slightly spicy, slightly tangy, ruby-glazed sweet potatoes all year long.

Serves 4

1. 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 15 minutes. Drain and let cool before quartering each potato lengthwise.
   
2. While the potatoes are cooking, combine the cranberry juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and reduced to ¾ cup, about 10 minutes. Stir in the bourbon and let cook for 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
   
3. Heat your grill to high.
   
4. Brush the potato wedges on both sides with the oil and season with salt. Grill, brushing with the cranberry glaze every 30 seconds, until lightly golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 6 minutes.
   

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