While grilling season lasts, grilled sweet potatoes are a superior side dish to go alongside all those smoky, savory meats. Cooking sweet potatoes on the grill is easier than you might think, and they’ll take on a light whiff of smoke as they caramelize over the flame.
So, how to grill sweet potatoes? Sweet and starchy sweet potatoes like to stick to the grill, so be sure yours is clean, well-heated and well-oiled before you starting cooking. Oiling the sweet potatoes themselves helps too. It’s best if the sweet potatoes are cooked or mostly cooked before they hit the grill, so they simply need to brown up before they’re served. This isn’t the only way to go (there are lots of other ways to make potatoes on the grill), but it is fast and efficient.
Ingredients for Grilled Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes: The naturally high sugar content of sweet potatoes makes them ideal for grilling. They take grill marks beautifully, and the caramelized spots add to their flavor.
- Gorgonzola cheese: Gorgonzola brings a bold cheese flavor to the accompanying dip, which sets off the potatoes’ golden sweetness.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise helps make the dip smoother, and it also slightly mellows the Gorgonzola’s bite.
- Lemon juice: The tart acidity of lemon juice helps balance the richness and pungency of the cheese and mayo.
- Olive oil: Brushing the sweet potatoes with olive oil helps them brown and protects them from sticking to the grill.
- Minced chives: The optional minced chives are a nice added touch, for the visual and for flavor.
Directions
Step 1: Microwave the sweet potatoes
Scrub the sweet potatoes, then pierce them all over with a fork. Place them on a microwave-safe plate and cook them on high until just tender, six to eight minutes, depending on your microwave’s power level. Turn them once, midway through the cooking time.
Step 2: Make the cheese spread
In a small bowl, combine the Gorgonzola, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Refrigerate the spread until you’re ready to eat.
Step 3: Slice and season the sweet potatoes
Slice the potatoes into 1/2-inch thick rounds, then brush both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Grill the sweet potatoes
Grill the sweet potatoes, covered, over medium heat for four to five minutes or until browned on both sides. Alternatively, broil them 4 inches from your oven’s broiler element for approximately the same time. Serve them with the Gorgonzola spread, sprinkled with minced chives, as desired.
Grilled Sweet Potato Variations
- Switch up the cheese: Gorgonzola works nicely in this recipe, with its pungent but not overbearing taste. You can achieve a similar (but subtly different) flavor profile with other blue cheeses, from a relatively mild and subtle Bleu d’Auvergne to a sharp Roquefort or aromatic Stilton. If you don’t care for blue cheeses, a boldly flavored non-blue like feta or cotija would also work.
- Try other dips: The spread in this recipe is simple and straightforward, and that’s never a bad thing at mealtime. Of course, if you have a few extra minutes to invest, we have lots of other dips and spreads among our blue cheese-based recipes. Pick one that you think will go nicely with the potatoes’ sweetness, and give it a whirl!
- Give the tubers a wedgie: Thick rounds of sweet potato are easy to handle on the grill, and they make a great side dish. If you’d like to make the pieces more finger-friendly, and even serve them as finger food when you’re entertaining, consider cutting them into wedges instead. You’ll find instructions in this recipe for grilled sweet potato wedges. Make the Gorgonzola spread, or give your guests a choice by also making the dip from the wedges recipe.
How to Store Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Any leftover grilled sweet potatoes should be packed into food-safe containers with tight-fitting lids, and refrigerated as soon as possible after the meal.
Can I make my grilled sweet potato ahead of time?
These sweet potatoes are best when they’re hot from the grill (or broiler). If you do want to make them ahead, your best bet is to microwave the potatoes ahead of time, and mix up the spread, then keep them refrigerated until mealtime. Grilling the potatoes only takes a few minutes, so most of the work will be done. You can grill the potatoes ahead if you wish, then reheat them at mealtime, but they won’t taste as fresh.
How long will these grilled sweet potatoes keep?
Leftover grilled potatoes will keep in the fridge for four to five days, as long as they’re refrigerated promptly after the meal. So will the Gorgonzola spread, though if you run out (or if it sat out in the sun for an hour or two) you can simply make a fresh batch.
Grilled Sweet Potato Tips
Do I need to microwave the sweet potatoes first?
The sweet potatoes need to be pre-cooked or par-cooked, because of their high sugar content. If you put them on the grill while they’re raw, they’re likely to be burnt and unappealing before they soften. Microwaving is convenient, but you could boil or steam them instead, if you prefer. You could also par-cook them in your oven or toaster oven, or even in foil at the edge of the grill, if you’re going to be cooking all afternoon.
Can I do this with regular potatoes instead?
Absolutely. In fact, the reader who originally submitted this recipe tried it first with regular potatoes. The flavor profile is slightly different, of course, but equally interesting.
Could I melt cheese onto the sweet potatoes as they grill?
You bet! The cheese flavor will be stronger if you melt Gorgonzola right on the sweet potatoes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can serve lemon wedges with the potatoes, so diners can squeeze a few drops of juice to cut through the richness and sweetness. Alternatively, you could drizzle the cheese-topped potatoes with maple syrup or sorghum, and top them with toasted pecans.
