Grilled Thyme Potatoes

It's time to get out of the kitchen and enjoy the outdoors.  Summertime is here!  Grilling time is here! (even though I grill all year round)  The Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club has gotten together again.  This month's theme is barbecuing and getting out of the kitchen to cook.  

I made a very simple side dish.  Thyme potatoes.  What I love about this recipe is that you make individual foil packets with red potatoes, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper.  Everyone has their own potato package.  The potatoes got so tender and creamy.  A perfect side dish to go along with your grilled meats or other vegetables.

Note: This recipe makes one serving.  I cut up enough potatoes to make 4 servings and increased the other ingredients as well. I divided the potato mixture evenly among 4 foil square packets. 

Click here for recipe on Myrecipes.com

Thyme Potatoes

Recipe By Cooking Light

Serving: 1 cup


Ingredients
1/2 pound small red potatoes, quartered  

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 
  
• Preparation

• Prepare grill.
• Combine all ingredients, tossing to coat. Cut 2 (12-inch) sheets of aluminum foil. Arrange potato mixture in a single layer on 1 sheet of foil. Place remaining sheet of foil over potato mixture; seal edges. Place foil packet on grill rack. Grill 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

What did the rest of the group cook outside the kitchen?  Check out the links below for some other great Cooking Light grilling and outdoor recipes.

Val from More Than Burnt Toast made an appetizer - Barbecued Chicken Sliders with Pickled Onions

Roz from La Bella Vita also made an appetizer - Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Jerry from Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants brought a salad - Grilled Vegetable Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese

Jamie (that's me) brought a side dish - Thyme Potatoes

Sandi from Whistlestop Cafe Cooking made the main dish - Scallops Grilled on Rosemary

Mary Ann from Meet Me in the Kitchen made the dessert - Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Enjoy some time getting out of the kitchen this summer.  These Cooking Light recipes are a great inspiration to get started.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  I used petite red potatoes and quartered them to make even pieces.  If you buy the red potatoes that are larger, I would cut them more to make smaller pieces.  This will help them cook quicker.  Also, keep an eye on the potatoes and check them for doneness at the suggested cook time.  If not done, cook a few minutes more.  If you cook them too long, which I did, you may end up with some burned potatoes. (we ate the ones that were not burnt which were very good)   

Cajun Frites (aka French Fries!)

I bet you think these french fries are fried.  Surprise!  They are baked and they are very good.  French fries are also known as frites in many parts of Europe.  We are huge fans of all types of potatoes and these baked fries were a big hit with the family.  

It only took 5 ingredients and a quick preparation to make these fries.  And much more healthier for you than frying them.  

The recipe came from the pages of Cooking Light magazine and was part of a full dinner recipe that included flank steak and kale.  CLICK HERE for the recipe on Myrecipes.com.  

Note:  The recipe states that the potatoes will take 40 minutes to bake.  Mine were done in 25-30 minutes.  I would check them in 15-20 minutes, flip them and check them in another 10 minutes or so. 

Speaking of cooking with 5 ingredients, come back next month for the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club where five bloggers cook dishes from Cooking Light and post about the meal on our blogs.  The chosen theme for April is 5 Ingredients or Less.  Also, read about this month's theme (A Taste of Spring) on Cooking Light's blog: Test Kitchen Secrets.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  The key to getting these fries crispy is to heat the pan for 5 minutes in a 500 degree oven before putting the potatoes on the pan.  The potatoes will sizzle when it hits the pan.  Also, keep the fries in a single layer.  That will also help in getting them crispy and baked just perfect. 

Rosemary Thyme Potatoes

Here is a great side dish that is so simple and quick to make yet so flavorful. I found this recipe on the blog The Provident Woman . It calls for fresh rosemary and thyme which I happen to have growing in some pots (something that hasn't died yet). We had these with grilled steak. Who could ask for anything more?

Rosemary Thyme Potatoes

Recipe by The Provident Woman

4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 whole Yukon Gold potatoes (I used Russet potatoes since my store was out of Yukon Gold)

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 pinch of salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat non-stick skillet on medium high. Heat oil and butter until butter is melted. Chop potatoes into 1/4 inch cubes. Add potatoes to melted butter and oil. Chop rosemary and thyme, add to potatoes. Add salt and pepper. Continue to saute potatoes, about 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes until potatoes are tender when stuck with a fork.

Make sure you cut the potatoes into small cubes so they cook quickly

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: When cooking, you normally get the most flavor from fresh herbs but we always don't have fresh herbs available. Generally, you can substitute 1 tsp of dried herbs for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs. So, in this recipe, if you didn't have fresh herbs available, substitute with 1 tsp each of dried rosemary and dried thyme. It's also a good idea to start with a smaller amount and adjust if needed.

Cooking Light Week - Day Four: New Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Welcome to Day Four of Cooking Light week! Make sure you head over to Aggie's Kitchen for Day One and Day Three recipes. I wanted to do a side dish and this was an easy pick since I love potatoes and garlic. Believe it or not, I've never roasted garlic before. Where have I been? Anyway, this is a different but very good way to eat potatoes. I have to admit, I'm used to my garlic roasted potatoes that I usually make so at first I wasn't sure about the tangy mustard and vinegar flavor. But the more I ate them the more I liked them. My husband loved them. The kids just wanted the plain roasted ones so I put some aside for them before adding the vinaigrette. We ate this with grilled rib eye steaks. So, try something new today. It may become a favorite.

New Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Recipe by Cooking Light

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
7 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, garlic, and potatoes in a roasting pan or jelly-roll pan; toss well to coat. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tender, stirring after 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.
3. Squeeze garlic cloves to extract pulp. Discard skins. Combine garlic pulp, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chives, vinegar, and mustard in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add potatoes to bowl; toss well to coat.

It's a Potato Parade getting ready to march in the oven!

Enjoy!

Well, I wonder what Aggie has in store for you tomorrow. Go to Aggie's Kitchen to find out what delicious recipe she's cooked up.

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: This recipe's title says New Potatoes but the ingredient list says small red potatoes. Sometimes the term new potatoes are used to describe all small waxy potatoes. New potatoes are basically immature potatoes harvested in spring & early summer. They have high moisture content and a creamy texture. My grocery store had a 3lb bag of petite red potatoes which is what I used in this recipe.