Easy Barbecued Roasties

If you have never thought to do roast potatoes on the braai or barbecue, give it a try.

These are just amazing!

They take about an hour to do, so they will need to go on long before your meat, unless you are doing a large chunk of meat for a roast, with which they make a great accompaniment, but we like them with any chargrilled offering....

Ingredients:
6-8 potatoes, peeled and quartered
60ml boiling water
60ml olive oil
60ml butter, melted
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2ml turmeric
2ml paprika

Method:
Prepare a direct fire, if you are doing steaks, chops or chicken pieces, or an indirect fire if you are cooking a roast on the barbecue.

Par boil the potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes and drain. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in a cast iron pan or in an aluminium foil drip pan.

Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the potatoes; toss to coat all the potatoes well. Cook over the drip pan until you put your meat on, then move to the side of the fire while you cook your meat if you are using an indirect fire. If you are using a direct fire put the tray of potatoes on the side of the fire for about an hour; the potatoes will absorb all the liquid and will be puffed, crispy and golden brown.

Cooks Tip:

Using a Kettle Braai or Barbecue...

There are two different ways to cook over a braai, especially if you are using a kettle braai, which has a lid or cover - what we call a 'Weber', the favourite Braai in South Africa, which is also available in the UK.

The method you select will depend on the type of food to be cooked. As a rule of thumb, place the most emphasis on the type of meat you are going to be cooking - vegetables usually cook just as well on both methods of cooking, but many meats benefit from what is called the 'indirect' method of cooking over coals, especially if you are preparing large pieces of meat, such as roasts, hams, whole chickens, duck or turkeys. It is also the best method for cooking fatty meats, such as ribs, park rashers and duck breasts.

When using the indirect method, food is cooked by reflected heat, not directly over the coals. Hot coals are positioned at either side of the fire bed and a drip pan is placed between the two beds of coals. the food is placed on the grid over the drip pan. food cooks slower than by direct heat. Because there are no coals directly under the food, flare-ups and smoke are minimised.

The second method id the 'direct' method. This is suitable for cooking steaks, hamburgers, chops, sausages, kebabs and most vegetables. A direct fire requires the hot coals to be spread over the fire bed and food is placed directly above the hot coals. Food to be cooked by this method may be placed in an open or covered Weber.

'Open' or 'covered' are the further two options, which the kettle braai permits - to cover or not to cover.... Open grilling is probably the method of choice for cuts of meat that are no more than 6-7cm thick, such as fish fillets, vegetables, steaks or chops. These will probably cook in 10-12 minutes, before excess charring occurs on the outside.

Most foods cook more evenly on a closed braai. Very thick steaks, roasts, chickens, chunky vegetables or large whole fish need to cook slower in order to cook through. the covered barbecue will also keep the food from drying out while cooking and fatty foods that may cause flare-ups, or foods with oily marinades or sauces will cook better if covered.