Grillin’ & Chillin’
We just grillin’ & Chillin’, but Pepé is confused as always. He wants to know why I’m putting my sweet potatoes in the microwave when I said we were grilling. Fair question I guess. I like to put my veggies on the grill at the same time, so I toss the sweet potato slices in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with some olive oil, cover them and then microwave for 2-3 minutes. I don’t want to cook them all the way through, but I want them mostly done. I’m going cook them and the asparagus on the grill for the same amount of time and asparagus doesn’t take as long. If you don’t want to take a shortcut, or you can’t because you’re camping, you can just put the potatoes on about 5 minutes earlier than the asparagus. You may not have enough grill space, so you can always cook the potatoes first, and then transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
These grilled sweet potatoes and asparagus are a healthy alternative to your next back yard barbecue. They can also be cooked on an indoor grill or panini maker. Drizzle with chimichurri sauce and you’ve got a hit.
I especially like to serve these with this Chili Lime Pork Tenderloin that I cook Sous Vide first, then sear it on the grill.
I use two skewers per group of asparagus so when I flip it, it doesn’t just spin around the skewer. It helps if you have the thicker asparagus. You may have some casualties that fall off, but that’s just because the grill is hungry.
This is how I served it for our Game of Thrones watch party with the Chili Lime Pork Tenderloin.
Grilled Sweet Potatoes & Asparagus
Equipment
- Grill
Ingredients
- 2 Large Sweet Potatoes sliced 1/4 inch - 3/8 inch / 6mm - 10mm
- 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil 2 for potatoes, 2 for asparagus
- 1 Pound Asparagus
- 2 Cups Chopped Tomatoes for asparagus garnish optional
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Peel sweet potatoes and then slice about 1/4” - 3/8” / 6mm - 10mm thick.
- Skewer asparagus (see note and photo above).
- Place sliced potatoes in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss or stir until all are well coated with oil and seasoning (you can always add more seasoning on the grill). Cover and microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Check to make sure they are getting slightly tender, but not fork tender. They will finish cooking on the grill. Heat grill on high.
- When the grill is nice and hot, place potato slices in a single layer, on grill for a 3-5 minutes on each side until they are done. I like to cook my asparagus which has been coated in oil, salt and pepper as well (not microwaved), at the same time. If you skewer the asparagus in groups, it makes it easier to flip them and keeps them from falling through the grates. They will cook about the same time. If making this Pork Tenderloin (which is technically already fully cooked and just needs some color), you can add it to the grill at the same time. It might get done slightly earlier, but it will need time to rest. Now whip up some chimichurri sauce to drizzle on everything and put and prepare yourself for a mountain of compliments.
