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.
Editor’s note: Originally published July 3, 2011. Last updated September 2, 2018, with updated text and re-edited photos.
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 you have thought about.
My Rating:
This will continue to be a frequent side when not in diet mode.
Recipe Notes for Grilled French Fries
The important point about getting this right.
- Do thin fries-They need to cook completely on the grill. Thick will not do.
- They go on raw not precooked. I tried to a varying amount of precooking, and they became too weak to work with.
- Wash them after cutting. The starch will stick them together. Then pat dry.
- 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.
Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes are a good choice here, but most potatoes should work.
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Preheat grill to 450-500 degrees. Scrub the potatoes. About 1 pound for two servings. Cut into 1/4 inch fries. I used a mandolin.
Wash the fries in cold water and drain. Place on paper towels and pat dry.
Add 1/4 cup of oil to the fries and mix well. Do not use olive oil since the grill temp will be high.
Coat grill safe pan with oil. Add fries to the pan. I used my 10 inch cast iron
pan. Place over high heat.
Do not touch for 12 minutes then flip fries and rotate pan. Flip every 4 to 6 minutes. Use the shorter duration near the end of cooking. Be sure to scrape the bottom to prevent sticking and rotate pan with every flip.
Cooking about 30-32 minutes total until well browned. Remove from grill. Place on a paper towel-lined bowl and sprinkle with coarse salt.
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Grilled French Fries
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/4 pounds potatoes - two medium
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 450-500. Scrub the potatoes. I used Golden Yukon, but others should work. About 1 pound for two servings. Cut into 1/4 inch fries. I used a mandolin.
- Wash the fries in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Add 1/4 cup of oil and mix well. Do not use olive oil since the grill temp will be high.
- Coat grill safe pan with oil. Add fries to the pan. I used my 10 inch cast iron
- Place over direct heat. Do not touch for 12 minutes. The lid is closed.
- Flip fries and rotate pan. Flip every 4 to 6 minutes. Use the shorter duration near the end of cooking. Be sure to scrape the bottom to prevent sticking and rotate pan with every flip.
- Cooking about 30-32 minutes total until well browned. Remove from grill. Place on a paper towel-lined bowl and sprinkle with coarse salt.
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Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Originally published July 3, 2011
Tom
Thanks! Easy and delicious.
julian
How can you call this recipe grilled french fries if the potatoes never touch the grill?
Evan
Julian, Julian, Julian. What are you doing with your life, man? It’s just a recipe; you don’t have to criticize. If you don’t like then it just keep looking until you find the right one. It’s a big world out there.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Evan,
Welcome to the blog and thanks for the defense.
I probably should have just deleted the comment but I had the image of him laying his fries across the grill grate and then trying to flip them. So I just let it pass. I find odd things funny.
Dan
Mark
I only have olive oil can I still make it work if I’m careful?
DrDan
I don’t think it will work well. It needs to get very hot.
Bob Willoughby
What a great post. I just got a Camp Chef flat top griddle. This looks like a great way to do fries. Have you ever tried peanut oil? Do you know the temperature of the cast iron pan?
Thanks!
DrDan
Hi Bob,
Peanut oil, of course, would be fine. The grill surface temperature on that grill was probably about 450-500 degrees. The pan temp unknown. But darn hot at the end.
Dan
David
Thanks for offering the recipe again with some great pictures. I will candidly admit that a picture of the dish surely adds to my interest in making it. And this recipe definitely has a fresh and tempting flavor to it that I loved.
Chris
I just did this about a week ago and loved them. We did ours indirect at 425f (ish). A cast iron like yours would have been better, we used a 1/4 jelly roll pan.