On the Grill: Hasselback Sweet Potato with Orange and Grand Marnier Sauce

I have been slowly getting over my fear of the outdoor grill. With this lovely kitchen installed on our rooftop patio I had to get in there and start using it. I have grilled pizzas and corn on the BBQ before, as well as  grilled some vegetables but now that the weather is hot I am keen on making most of the cooking outdoors under the shade of the roof and umbrellas on the cooler north side of the patio. I need to get acquainted with the wood chip smoker feature of this grill. I have the wood chips but have to wrap my head around this. Yesterday was “the” day when I made the entire dinner outdoors, including the salad, and we enjoyed a leisurely dinner as the sun was setting, painting the lake and mountains in pinks and purples. Gorgeous.  It was Canada Day here but we kind of forgot  to wait for the fireworks.

I had two sweet potatoes that needed to be used and I thought I would cut them hasselback style, brush them with oil, wrap in foil and cook until tender. The sauce I had in mind was orange juice, honey and Grand Marnier. You can add a little oil or butter if you want, I didn’t. The potatoes turned out perfectly beautiful and were a treat to eat. The light sauce enhanced their flavour and the “adult” element of Grand Marnier was only a hint but made it special. Hasselback potatoes are said to originate in Sweden as a form of roasted potatoes topped with cheese. I posted a recipe for them here. This time I am using sweet potatoes and cutting them a little thicker than the traditional hasselback style. To cut the potatoes you may want to stand them between two wooden spoons (see image). The spoon will prevent the knife from cutting through the potatoes and keep the bottom intact. You still need to watch when cutting the ends as they are raised  and if you cut to the spoons you would cut them off.

Once you cut the potatoes the cooking is pretty simple. Drizzle them with a little oil, wrap in foil and grill on the BBQ at medium heat until they are cooked through, about an hour, depending on the size of the potatoes and the level of heat of your grill. When serving drizzle some of the orange-honey sauce over and serve the rest of the sauce on the side.

Enjoy.

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Ingredients:

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2 sweet potatoes (or more)

2 tablespoon olive oil

Orange-honey sauce:

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Directions:

Heat up the BBQ to medium heat

Wash and dry each of the potatoes.

Stand a potato between two wooden spoons and slice
down to the spoon, keeping the bottom intact. ]Watch the ends to make sure you don’t slice them offf.

Repeat with the second potato.

Cut two  large square of foil and set each potato in the center of the foil.

Drizzle with olive oil and rub it over the potatoes letting it drip between the slices.

Close the foil packet tight around the potatoes and set on the grill.

Close the BBQ and cook for about an hour, depending on the size of your potatoes and the heat of the grill. You can carefully open the package towards the end of the cooking to check if they are done.

When ready remove from the grill , open the foil packets and set on a plate.

Serve with the orange honey sauce.

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Orange honey sauce:

 

Combine the orange juice and honey in a small pot and bring to a boil.

Lower heat to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until sauce reduces and thickens slightly.

Add the Grand Marnier and cook for a couple of minutes more.

Serve with the potatoes.

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