Cook's Illustrated

Grilled Garlic-Rosemary Potatoes

Published July 1, 2007.

How could our recipe for grilled potatoes be improved? With rosemary, garlic, and a new technique.

The Problem

We found it harder than it sounded to add garlic and rosemary flavors to plain grilled potatoes. Coating the potatoes with oil, garlic, and rosemary produced burned, bitter garlic and charred rosemary. If we tossed the potatoes in garlic oil after cooking, the raw garlic was too harsh.

The Goal

We wanted potent garlic and rosemary flavors in our potatoes, without bitterness and charring.

The Solution

We needed to introduce the potatoes to the garlic-oil mixture not once, but three times. Before cooking, we pierced the potatoes, skewered them, seasoned them with salt, brushed on a garlic-rosemary oil, and parcooked them in the microwave. Before grilling, we brushed them again with the infused oil. And after grilling, we tossed them with the garlic and rosemary oil yet again.

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