Kitchen MacGyver: Grilled Portabellas With Oven-Crisp Fries

Try this recipe for some grilled goodness!

Written by: Sabrina Grotewold

You’ll see a lot of grill-related recipes from me not only because it’s a great method for searing, caramelizing and adding a smoky profile to food (particularly if you’re using charcoal or wood chips), but also because I’m lucky to live where I do (people who live in arctic climates, cover your eyes), in grill-friendly San Diego, where even when it’s pouring or overcast and cool, it’s still lovely. It’s also one of my end-of-the-day lazy tricks: Like many men, my husband is fiercely proud of his grill and doesn’t ever seem to mind standing in the smoky haze, flipping food over the fire. Even better, I’ve gotten away with cleaning the grill just once in the past nine months because I swap inside clean-up (hello, dishwasher) with the greasy mess outdoors.

This meal does include using the oven for the fries, but if you’d prefer to cook everything on the grill, just slice up the potatoes (add a bit of oil and season with salt and pepper) and put them on the grill, too.

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms with Red Peppers  

2 large portabella mushroom caps (remove stems; if you’re over ambitious, you can scrape out the gills. I don’t.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce (Note: Low-sodium soy sauce lacks the depth of the real stuff. If you’re concerned about sodium, use the real stuff but just use less. Recommendation: Eden Foods Shoyu and San-J Tamari [mostly soy, little or no wheat] rock.)

1 large red pepper, deseeded and sliced into wide one-inch strips

salt and pepper

2 russet potatoes

white truffle salt, if desired

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/3 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and preheat grill.

Clean mushrooms with a damp kitchen towel and wash and slice the red peppers. Divide 1 tablespoon olive oil between 2 bowls. In one bowl, add sliced red peppers and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. In the other bowl, add portabella mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce. Toss veggies to coat with oil and seasoning. Set aside.

Rinse or scrub potatoes well. Fill a large bowl with water and set aside. Slice potatoes into thick sticks or wedges and allow to soak in bowl of water for about 10 minutes. Remove fries from water and place on a few sheets of paper towel or a clean kitchen towel. Pat dry. In a dry large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil with the dried basil and as much or as little salt (or truffle salt) and pepper as you’d like; add fries and toss to coat. Arrange fries on a large cookie sheet (you may need two) so they’re not touching and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip fries with a spatula to crisp on the opposite side. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until crisp.

About 20 minutes through the fry baking time, grill the vegetables for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until lightly charred at edges. Remove from grill and sprinkle portabellas with mozzarella cheese before topping with red pepper strips.

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Sabrina Grotewold is a senior editor for Competitor. Christened the Kitchen MacGyver by her husband, she’s determined to persuade people to eat their veggies.