Grill-roasted Rosemary Lemon Potatoes

I love growing herbs in my garden. I have a special little area in the back yard that at one time was a fire pit, then turned into a water fountain, and now my herb garden.

But I've learned the best place for my rosemary and basil are right in my kitchen window. I've overwintered both successfully many times.

So I was happy to find this recipe for Grill-roasted Rosemary Lemon Potatoes on the blog Café Sucre Farine and have the chance to use some up.

Rosemary is only a recent love of mine, and I would have thought it might overpower the potatoes, but not so. The resulting lemony-rosemary taste is surprisingly refreshing, and I love that the potatoes are par-boiled, then finished off right on the grill for a lovely look and a surprisingly crispiness.

I sometimes get ahead of myself in recipes and ended up mixing all the ingredients into the coating, but the recipe still turned out fine. After grilling I tossed them again in the leftover coating.

Hubby grilled the potatoes, but has a tendency to under-grill veggies, so they aren't as pretty as on the original blog, but they sure tasted good! The lemon zest, instead of juice, gives these potatoes a surprisingly refreshing taste, but I think this recipe could be easily adapted without the zest for a stronger rosemary taste. Yum!

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Grill-roasted Rosemary Lemon Potatoes
2 lbs. small yellow potatoes or new potatoes, each 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter, scrubbed
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
zest of 1 lemon (finely zested)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat.

Place potatoes in a large pot of water, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes (potatoes will not be completely cooked).

Drain potatoes well and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours, then cut in half. In a large bowl combine the 1/4 cup olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add potatoes and toss gently to coat.

Transfer potatoes to grill, letting excess oil drip into bowl (save bowl with leftover oil). Add chopped rosemary, lemon zest and minced garlic along with the 1 tablespoon extra olive oil to the same bowl and stir to combine. Grill potatoes, covered, turning once or twice, until crispy, and golden about 5-8 minutes.

As soon as potatoes come off the grill, add them to the bowl with the herbed oil and again toss gently to coat. Sneak a potato (taste test!) and season with additional salt if needed. Enjoy!

Adapted from Epicurious by the blog “the café sucré farine”