I've Gotta Grilling!

Last year as we were remodeling our kitchen I was left without a stove, an oven and even without a sink. It would not be a big deal if we were fond of takeouts, but we're not. I had to improvise on a grill to create dinners. And for the sink, I had to use a garden hose suspended over the plastic container. Honestly, I loved my impromptu outdoor kitchen. It felt so primal!

I want to repeat it this year. Not the sink part, but as the temperatures rise, I have a feeling for grilling. The whole month! Last year, I have tried few dinner dished that are normally prepared on a stove top or in an oven. This time not only I will try to re-create them, add new ones, but also blog about my experiences! So stay tuned this month for dinner makeovers on a grill!

First one is my family's go to meal, herb roasted chicken. I roast chicken in the oven with onions and potatoes—the vegetable choice of my kids—and sometimes add green vegetables such as asparagus. Now, I'm grilling this roast!

As we all know, grilling starts not with firing up a grill but with proper preparation. And by preparation I mean the process of marinading. So, I took a whole chicken, quarter it and marinaded it with fresh herbs {sage, rosemary, oregano and thyme}, garlic and onion rings. Now, I could of used the whole chicken and roasted it on a rotisserie attachment, but a) I didn't have this attachment; b) the chicken, coming from local farm, was 5 1/5 lb. I had 8 hungry people to feed!

I am not going to post a formal recipe, just a description of what I did. I couldn't even find a proper name, but it's totally irrelevant! :)

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Grilled Chicken With Grilled Potatoes, Onions and Asparagus

Chicken:

One medium to large {5 1/5 lb} whole chicken on a bone, skinned and cut into 4

For marinade:

Extra virgin olive oil—1/3 to 1/2 cup

Fresh herbs of your choice—1 bunch

Garlic—5-6 cloves

Black pepper corns—about a teaspoonful

Coarse sea salt—1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons

1 lb yellow onions, peeled, cut in 4 pieces across

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Potatoes:

2 lb yukon gold medium size potatoes, washed and cut across in halves

2 T spoon of olive oil for grilling

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You will need:

A wire basket

Metal skewers, enough to fit all the potatoes

Metal (grilling) tongs

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• Mash herbs, pepper and salt with a mortar and pistil until all crushed. Add e/v olive oil and cover the chicken and onions. Let marinade for at least one hour.

• You might also want to add one bunch of asparagus, although it's optional and need not to be marinated.
• Preheat grill to 350°F (Grill)
• Arrange chicken, cover and cook for 20 minutes, keeping the temperature at 350°F.

• Arrange potatoes on the skewers and onions and asparagus in the wire basket.

• Flip the bird, add potatoes on the skewers to the grill, cover and cook for another 30 minutes keeping the temperature same, at 350°F.

• Check if chicken is done: it should run clear when poked, or if you have an instant read thermometer, it should read 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken. If bird is not ready, cover and cook for another 10 minutes. If it is, take it off the grill and arrange in a baking/serving dish and let it rest and re-collect all the juices under a sheet of aluminum foil.

• Put the wire basket with onions and asparagus on the grill where the bird once was and flip the potatoes. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes until potatoes are fully cooked. Don't overcook potatoes, they will fall apart and may even fall into the grill.

• Once potatoes are cooked, remove the chicken from the serving dish (temporary) and arrange the vegetables on the bottom. If desired, season the vegetables with a dash of sea salt and toss.

• Put the bird back, now on the bed of grilled potatoes, onions and asparagus. Cover with foil and let it all rest for 5 minutes until serving.

• Cut the chicken and serve with the side of grilled vegetables and some fresh green leaf salad.

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I have to admit, if I was reading all this, I would probably think this is an elaborate idea. I have to assure you, however, it is very easy to prep and to grill this dish. In time it takes you to finish reading this post, your dinner could be on the table! Unless, you're a speed reader :)

Enjoy cooking and eating al-fresco!