Confession: I don’t really like potatoes.

I know, I know.  Potato lovers are gasping in horror.  I’m probably pickier about potatoes than any other food I eat.  If we’re being honest here, I generally find them to be incredibly bland.

So given my general dislike of potatoes, it’s probably not surprising that I generally purchase them once a year: for our annual Hanukkah latke-fest.  (For the record, latkes are the single best thing you can make with a potato.)

Then… I joined a CSA, and found myself with tiny potatoes week after week.  I pulled out my hair for a while last summer trying to figure out what to do with all these potatoes until I spotted a menu with “mustard grilled potatoes.”  Sold!

All you need are potatoes, mustard, and some mayo (and salt, although I figure everyone already had that at home!) for creamy inside, crispy outside, ridiculously flavorful potatoes. It’s the only way I prepare my CSA potatoes now, and every time I serve them to friends, someone always asks for the recipe!

Best Potatoes for Grilling

This recipe works with any type of “new” potatoes. New potatoes, the technical name for baby potatoes, are potatoes that are dug up before reaching actual maturity. They are, quite literally, baby potatoes, in age (not just in size!)

New potatoes come in all different varieties. I find the best are the kind with thicker, slightly waxy skins – like Yukon gold, fingerling potatoes, or red bliss potatoes. Waxy potatoes are low in starch and hold their shape after cooking. Meanwhile, mealy potatoes, like Russet potatoes and sweet potatoes, are high in starch and break down more easily when cooked. Why does this happen? It’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

When a potato is cooked, the heat breaks down and softens cell walls. For mealy potatoes, these cell walls are significantly weakened, causing the potato flesh to fall apart. Meanwhile, for starchy potatoes, cell walls are held together more tightly, softening but still remaining strong enough to hold together the individual cells.

I keep the potatoes whole for this recipe, so I prefer to use the smallest potatoes I can find (smaller than a golf ball). If they’re on the very small side, I often just toss these directly on the grill still raw. If your potatoes are larger than this, read on for how to prepare them!

Parboiling Baby Potatoes

If your potatoes are golf ball sized or larger, you’ll want to parboil them first to ensure the inside is soft and creamy.

This can be done by adding the potatoes to a pot filled with boiling water and boiling for 5 minutes. Drain and dry the potatoes before tossing them with mustard and mayonnaise.

A second, often easier option, is to par-cook the potatoes in the microwave. Poke each potato once or twice with a fork or a knife and place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover loosely with a lid or plate and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly, then proceed with the recipe.

Mustard + Mayo Coating

Once your potatoes have been parboiled, if necessary, toss them with a combination of mustard and mayonnaise.

Listen up, mayo haters – I know there are some of you out there. The mayonnaise merely acts as a fat to coat the potatoes. You can sub oil in for a similar result, but the thick mayo does a better job of fully coating the potato.

These potatoes do not taste like mayo at all, I promise! Most of it melts off the outside while the potatoes grill.

Additional Optional Seasonings

I find these potatoes are plenty flavorful from the mustard and usually opt just to add some kosher salt to the mustard and mayonnaise before grilling.

But if you have other favorite seasonings, add whatever you’d like to the mustard and mayo combination! Dried rosemary, thyme, parsley, or garlic powder are always great additions. A premade seasoning blend is always a great option, too!

Just know that it’s totally optional and these potatoes are perfect on their own with just a little salt!

How to Grill Baby Potatoes

Once the potatoes are fully coated with mustard and mayo (and any optional seasonings), it’s time to grill! Because these potatoes are so small, you don’t want to set them directly on the grates. But we want them to also be directly exposed to the flames from the grill to get the nice slightly charred, crispy outside.

My favorite way to do this is to use a grill basket, stirring the potatoes a few times to ensure all sides of the potatoes are exposed to the direct flame from the bottom. Another option that works well with larger potatoes is to thread. them on a skewer and turn once while cooking.

We’ll start the potatoes on high heat so the outside starts to char, stirring every few minutes. When the outside of the potatoes is as dark as you’d like, check to see if the inside is done. Peirce the potato with a fork; if it slides in easily and the inside is soft, your potatoes are done.

If they still need a little more time, move the potatoes to a cooler side of the grill or turn down the gas and allow the potatoes to cook using the residual heat from the grill.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Grilled Baby Potatoes

1. Choose similar-sized potatoes to ensure the cooking time is the same for the full batch of potatoes. The smaller the better!
2. If your potatoes are golf ball sized or larger, pre-cook the potatoes either by boiling in water or heating in the microwave to soften the insides.
3. Use a grill basket or thread the potatoes on a skewer before grilling so they do not fall through the grates.
4. Potatoes are done when they can be pierced easily with a fork or when an instant-read thermometer registers at 210 °F.

More Grilling Sides:

• Spicy Grilled Okra
• Whiskey Peach BBQ Sauce
• Grilled Asparagus and Feta Salad
• Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
• Chipotle Rhubarb BBQ Sauce
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