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The Irresistible Potato: Grilled, Smoked, Mashed and Smashed

Call it the latest outbreak of a smoke fever sweeping a nation hungry for barbecue that goes beyond meat.
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Grilling Authority, barbecuebible.com

Grilling Authority, barbecuebible.com
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Call it the latest outbreak of a smoke fever sweeping a nation hungry for barbecue that goes beyond meat. Or call it the next big thing for one of the New World's great vegetable gifts to Planet Barbecue: potatoes hit the grill.

First came the smoked potatoes with black garlic jam and ramp (wild leek) aioli at Bar Tartine in San Francisco. Then the hickory-smoked potato soup--tarted up with buttermilk and sherry vinegar--at Mintwood Place in Washington, D.C. And who could forget the smoked mashed potatoes at Wiley Dufresne's iconoclastic eatery, WD-50 on New York's Lower East Side?

Not that any of this comes as a surprise to members of this barbecue community. No, we've been smoking and grilling potatoes for decades.

What is it about spuds that makes them so irresistible for grilling?

  • Well, first, there's the mild flavor--think of the potato as a sort of sponge (or blank canvas) that readily absorbs any smoke, spice, or fire flavor you throw at it.

  • Then there's the texture--or more precisely, the contrast of textures. For a well-roasted potato offers the perfect contrast of crustiness on the outside and a luscious, luxurious, soft and creamy center.

  • Then there's the potato's natural affinity for the meats we love to smoke and grill: baking potatoes with steak; mashed potatoes with smoked meatloaf; potato salad with pork shoulder and spareribs.

  • Finally, there's a potato's incredible versatility--it's delectable direct grilled, indirect grilled, smoke-roasted, smoked, roasted in the embers, and of course mashed and smashed.

    • February is National Potato Month. It's not too late to celebrate. To get you started, here's a smoke-roasted stuffed baked potato.

    Get lots more smoked and grilled potato recipes at BarbecueBible.com.

    SIGN UP for Steven Raichlen's UP IN SMOKE newsletter to learn more about barbecue!

    READ MORE ABOUT GRILLING AT BARBECUEBIBLE.COM

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    Steven Raichlen is the author of the Barbecue! Bible cookbook series and the host of Primal Grill on PBS. His web site is BarbecueBible.com.

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