Potato wedges on the barbie with garlic dip

This is a great and easy recipe for potato wedges done on the barbecue. Mr Thrifty even declared that he likes these better than chips, which is saying a lot because his relationship with potatoes is like Homer Simpson’s with doughnuts (or donuts, as our friends across the pond prefer).

(Mmmm, potatoes, mmmm…)

We used two enormous potatoes from the allotment, the early variety Rocket. I reckon pretty much any all-purpose type of potato would work.

1. Scrub potatoes, but don’t peel them. Cut lengthwise into wedges with “fat” end of wedges about 1.5cm (5/8″) thick.

2. Bring a pot of water to boil. (I use an electric kettle before transferring water to a pot; this is more energy-efficient. I think.) Put potatoes in boiling water, return water to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for anywhere from one to 10 or so minutes (lid on). The first time I made these, I boiled them for 10 minutes, and that was about right. The second time, with very freshly dug potatoes, they were, err, mashed potatoes after 10 minutes. You want them to soften a bit, but they should NOT be soft all the way through.

3. Drain potatoes, then gently toss with olive oil. Arrange in a single layer on a plate to cool. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Fire up the barbie. Cook potatoes for about 1/2 hour, turning several times, until lightly crusted on the outside and fully cooked on the inside. You may have to experiment with where you cook them on your barbie to achieve potato perfection. Mr Thrifty cooked them on the upper shelf of our barbie, where it’s hot but not too close to the source of heat.

5. For garlic dip, mix together vegan mayonnaise and garlic. Preferably let it sit for at least an hour. In the UK, vegan mayonnaises include Mayola or Plamil’s egg-free mayo; in America/Canada, try Vegenaise.

Makes two servings.