Grilled French Fries

French fries and the grill are not something most people do. But with the right technique, this can be a standard with these easy to follow step by step photo instructions.

Table of Contents

• ♨️The Grill
• 🥔Potatoes
• ✔️Tips
• 📖Potato Recipes
• 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
• 📖Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Introduction

There are only a few instructions out there, and they vary a lot. So I always like to experiment, and this is the 5th try in 2 weeks, and I now have it right.

They are not your basic fast food tasting fry. They are a cross between a fast-food fry and a hash brown. And a great reason to buy that 10 or 12-inch cast iron pan.

My Rating

This will continue to be a frequent side when not in diet mode.

♨️The Grill

The grill should be 450°-500° surface temperature. That is usually a bit above medium on most gas grills. It is also the grill temperature I usually recommend for most chicken and pork recipes.

If you have questions about grill set up, see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.

Try to avoid any "hot spots" you have on your grill. A heavier pan like cast-iron will help even out any hot spots. The larger the pan, the better.

🥔Potatoes

Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes are a good choice here, but most potatoes should work. You can leave the skin, but I suggest peeling if using Russets. Other potatoes have thinner skin, and peeling is more a personal choice.

I suggest ¼ inch fries. The thicker the fries, the longer and harder the cooking. I use a mandolin, but please follow the safety recommendations of the manufacturer if you do. Otherwise, just a good knife will do.

The potatoes need to be soaked for 10-20 minutes in cold water and then dried well before proceeding. If you skip this still, you will have a mushy mess.

✔️Tips

• Try to avoid any hot spots on your grill.
• Do thin fries-They need to cook completely on the grill. Thicker than ⅜ inch will not do.
• They go on raw, not precooked. I tried to a varying amount of precooking, and they became too weak to work.
• Wash and soak them after cutting. The starch will stick them together. Then pat dry (important.)
• Rotate the pan every time you touch the fries. Hot spots will do you in.
• Keep your hands off a lot more than you want. You will just break them up.
• A well-seasoned cast-iron pan is almost a must.

It is another KISS recipe that is easily scalable to the size you need, but you will have a hard time doing a large batch. More than 2-3 pounds of potatoes should be a practical limit in a very large pan.

📖Potato Recipes

Crispy Baked French Fries

Easiest French Fries Ever

Easy Roasted Red Potatoes

Grilled Potato Slices

This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Preheat grill to 450°-500°. Scrub the potatoes—about 1 pound for two servings. Cut into ¼ inch fries. I used a mandolin.

Wash the fries in cold water. Soak for 10-20 minutes and drain. Place on paper towels and pat dry.

Add ¼ cup of oil to the fries and mix well. Do not use olive oil.

Coat grill safe pan with oil. Add fries to the pan. Cast-iron is preferred.

Place over direct heat and try to avoid any hot spots.

Do not touch for 12 minutes, then flip fries and rotate pan. Flip every 4 to 6  minutes. Use a shorter duration near the end of cooking. Be sure to scrape the bottom to prevent sticking and rotate pan with every flip.

Cooking about 30-35 minutes total until well browned. Remove from grill. Place on a paper towel-lined bowl and sprinkle with coarse salt.

📖Recipe

Grilled French Fries

From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

French fries and the grill are not something most people do. But with the right technique, this can be a standard with these easy to follow step by step photo instructions. They are not your basic fast food tasting fry. They are a cross between a fast food fry and a hash brown.

Tap to leave a Rating

3.85 from 40 votes

Print Email CollectionCollected

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings #/Adjust if desired 2

Ingredients

US Customary - Convert to Metric

• ▢ 1 to 1 ¼ pounds potatoes - about two medium
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ kosher salt to taste

Instructions

• Preheat grill to 450°-500°. Scrub the potatoes. About 1 pound for two servings. Cut into ¼ inch fries. I used a mandolin.
• Wash the fries in cold water. Soak for 10-20 minutes and drain. Place on paper towels and pat dry.
• Add ¼ cup of oil to the fries and mix well. Do not use olive oil.
• Coat a grill safe pan with oil. Add fries to the pan. Cast-iron is preferred.
• Place over direct heat and try to avoid any hot spots.
• Do not touch for 12 minutes then flip fries and rotate pan. Flip every 4 to 6  minutes. Use a shorter duration near the end of cooking. Be sure to scrape the bottom to prevent sticking and rotate pan with every flip.
• Cooking about 30-35 minutes total until well browned. Remove from grill. Place on a paper towel-lined bowl and sprinkle with coarse salt.

See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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Recipe Notes

Pro Tips

1. I prefer russet potatoes but others work.
2. Try to avoid any hot spots on your grill.
3. Do thin fries-They need to cook completely on the grill. Thicker than ⅜ inch will not do.
4. They go on raw not precooked. I tried to a varying amount of precooking, and they became too weak to work.
5. Wash and soak them after cutting. The starch will stick them together. Then pat dry (important.)
6. Rotate the pan every time you touch the fries. Hot spots will do you in.
7. Keep your hands off a lot more than you want. You will just break them up.
8. A well-seasoned cast-iron pan is almost a must.

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories : 575 kcal (29%) | Carbohydrates : 45 g (15%) | Protein : 5 g (10%) | Fat : 43 g (66%) | Saturated Fat : 6 g (30%) | Polyunsaturated Fat : 24 g | Monounsaturated Fat : 11 g | Sodium : 1198 mg (50%) | Potassium : 1096 mg (31%) | Fiber : 6 g (24%) | Sugar : 2 g (2%) | Vitamin C : 56.1 mg (68%) | Calcium : 30 mg (3%) | Iron : 2.2 mg (12%)

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Potato

Cuisine : American

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Editor's note: Originally published July 3, 2011. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.