Cheesy Bacon And Gluten Free Grilled Red Potatoes: A Perfect Gluten Free Side For Any Cookout!

As Father’s Day weekend rolled around, so did some beautiful weather of clear skies and mild temperatures. We certainly took advantage of the gorgeous summer skies by taking a morning trip down to the boardwalk, where it was perfectly sunny and breezy. Little one rode a bit in her stroller and then itched to walk the boards herself. Soon enough, we granted her wish and sprung her from her carriage so she was free to take in all of the sights and smells of the shore. She was so excited by the ocean and sand that laid before us and probably wanted to try a bit of it out, but no beach for us that day; instead, we ventured along through the arcades, sweet stores, and stopped to get a little treat to eat for our little girl (and Daddy too!).  

After trying our hand at a few Disney cranes, we finally tasted victory and won our little Disney lover her beloved Daisy! With Daisy in hand, little one nibbled on her soft pretzel while Daddy enjoyed a slice of boardwalk pizza. Sadly, I have to report that I couldn’t join my family in tasting any of the boardwalk deliciousness; oh how I miss those non-gluten free treats like Kohr’s raspberry and vanilla soft serve, massive slices of plain pizza, or those delicious vinegar fries (ugh these are really good!). Now, although there not much in the way of gluten free eats, at one of the dining locations on the boardwalk, they do offer a gluten free pizza that is cooked in a separate pan and everything. Last year I just had to try it and really wasn’t a huge fan, but appreciated just being able to indulge a little in the boardwalk tradition of grabbing a bite to eat. Hopefully someday, the rest of the boardwalk joins the gluten free world.

After a beautiful morning of just us three, we were back at home ready to host all of the fathers and grandfathers in our family for a cookout. Hot dogs, hamburgers, tortellini salad, corn on the cob, baked beans, cucumber and tomato salad, potatoes on the grill, watermelon, chocolate cake, and ice cream bars, we had a huge array of food for all to enjoy. My favorite of the day was my gluten free potato dish that I cooked on the grill. We first fell for this one last summer after I’d found the recipe in a Taste of Home mini cookbook. With some gluten free adaptations, I had made a winner that my husband and I loved! With a special request from the Daddy of the day, I decided to make a huge portion of my Cheesy Bacon and Gluten Free Grilled Red Potatoes to hopefully please all of our guests. These potatoes are diced into small, bite-sized pieces and cooked until perfectly tender. They’re mixed with seasoned salt (one of our favorite grilling seasonings!), onions, chives, bacon, and cheese!. My little one, who hasn’t seemed to be a fan of potatoes unless we give her one or two in fry form, even liked these. The mixture of bacon, cheese, and potato is heavenly, truly perfect for any cookout!

Note: This is a family sized recipe, perfect for family picnics. We had 10 adults at our Father’s Day picnic and we had more than enough. If you’d like to make a smaller portion for a family dinner, just half the recipe and it’s perfect for a weeknight side dish.

Ingredients:

• 6 large red potatoes, washed, peeled (optional), and cut into small bite size pieces (I love red potatoes!)
• 2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 6 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp minced chives
• 1 tsp seasoned salt (I use Lawry’s which is gluten free according to their website.)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 tbsp butter (I use Smart Balance) 
• 1 cup diced cooked bacon (If short on time, use Hormel bacon pieces)
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Wash thoroughly, peel, and dice 6 red potatoes into small bite-size pieces. Feel free to leave the peels on if you prefer, I just gave them a quick and rough peel.
• Chop  2 medium, yellow onion and set aside.
• Combine potatoes, onions, 6 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp chopped chives, 1 tsp seasoned salt, and 1 tsp black pepper in a large mixing bowl. 
• Prepare foil pocket to hold potatoes for cooking on the grill. Heavy duty foil is the best, but just layer regular foil for a sturdier hold. I like to lay one long strip of foil on the counter and then a second perpendicular to the first. Then fold up bottom layer and make center into a bowl type pocket. Using a wide, shallow bowl for this is helpful to keep the form of your foil pocket. 
• Add potato mixture to foil and dot with 4 tbsp of butter.
• Close foil pocket by folding foil down around the potatoes and seal it tightly.
• Carefully transfer potatoes to grill, cover and cook on medium heat for 15-18 minutes. Make sure potatoes are cooked until tender.
• Cook and prepare bacon by dicing it into small, bite-size pieces. Alternatively, you can use prepared bacon pieces like those by Hormel, which are gluten free according to their website.
• When done cooking, undo foil pocket carefully and add 1 cup of shredded part-skim mozzarella and 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese along with 1 cup diced cooked bacon to top of potatoes.
• Reseal foil pocket and grill for an additional 5 minutes until all cheese has melted.
• Remove foil pocket from grill and carefully open. Allow steam to escape from the pocket first before emptying potatoes.
• Scoop potatoes into large serving bowl or serve potatoes in foil pocket (just tell your guests to be careful as the foil will be hot from sitting on the grill). 

• Enjoy!

Instead of moving these to a large bowl, you can always keep their presentation a bit prettier by serving them in their foil pocket. I love serving them like this, that way your guests can see all of the cheesy bacon goodness that tops the mound of diced potatoes. For this particular occasion though, I transferred them to another bowl since the foil is quite hot from the grill and we had some curious kids milling around the food table, not a good combo. Taste wise, these are certainly a crowd pleaser! Our Father’s Day cookout guests couldn’t stop raving about how yummy these were. And our little girl, the non-potato lover, loved them too! She gobbled down a couple generous forkfuls, a true feat for her when it comes to potatoes. 

So next time your having a big cookout, 4th of July maybe, or even just a weeknight cookout, pull this one out and you’ll have a winner! And don’t be afraid to half or adjust the recipe as necessary for your party size, you can’t make any mistakes with this one!

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

Cheesy Bacon and Gluten Free Grilled Red Potatoes

2014-06-16 07:58:22

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Ingredients

1. 6 large red potatoes, washed, peeled (optional), and cut into small bite size pieces (I love red potatoes!)
2. 2 medium yellow onion, chopped
3. 6 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
4. 2 tbsp minced chives
5. 1 tsp seasoned salt (I use Lawry's which is gluten free according to their website.)
6. 1/2 tsp black pepper
7. 4 tbsp butter (I use Smart Balance)
8. 1 cup diced cooked bacon (If short on time, use Hormel bacon pieces)
9. 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
10. 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Wash thoroughly, peel, and dice 6 red potatoes into small bite-size pieces. Feel free to leave the peels on if you prefer, I just gave them a quick and rough peel.
2. Chop 2 medium, yellow onion and set aside.
3. Combine potatoes, onions, 6 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp chopped chives, 1 tsp seasoned salt, and 1 tsp black pepper in a large mixing bowl.
4. Prepare foil pocket to hold potatoes for cooking on the grill. Heavy duty foil is the best, but just layer regular foil for a sturdier hold. I like to lay one long strip of foil on the counter and then a second perpendicular to the first. Then fold up bottom layer and make center into a bowl type pocket. Using a wide, shallow bowl for this is helpful to keep the form of your foil pocket.
5. Add potato mixture to foil and dot with 4 tbsp of butter.
6. Close foil pocket by folding foil down around the potatoes and seal it tightly.
7. Carefully transfer potatoes to grill, cover and cook on medium heat for 15-18 minutes. Make sure potatoes are cooked until tender.
8. Cook and prepare bacon by dicing it into small, bite-size pieces. Alternatively, you can use prepared bacon pieces like those by Hormel, which are gluten free according to their website.
9. When done cooking, undo foil pocket carefully and add 1 cup of shredded part-skim mozzarella and 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese along with 1 cup diced cooked bacon to top of potatoes.
10. Reseal foil pocket and grill for an additional 5 minutes until all cheese has melted.
11. Remove foil pocket from grill and carefully open. Allow steam to escape from the pocket first before emptying potatoes.
12. Scoop potatoes into large serving bowl or serve potatoes in foil pocket (just tell your guests to be careful as the foil will be hot from sitting on the grill).
13. Enjoy!

Notes

1. This is a family sized recipe, perfect for family picnics. We had 10 adults at our Father's Day picnic and we had more than enough. If you'd like to make a smaller portion for a family dinner, just half the recipe and it's perfect for a weeknight side dish.
2. Try serving these potatoes in their foil pocket! It makes for a great presentation and keeps the prettiness of the melted cheese and bacon on top intact. Just be careful, the foil will be hot so make sure you warn your guests before they start scooping.

By Gluten Free Mom To Be

Adapted from Taste of Home

Adapted from Taste of Home

Gluten Free Mom To Be http://www.glutenfreemomtobe.com/