Sides: The Supporting Role

While the protein is generally the star of your BBQ dish, sides are just as important to complete a well-rounded and delicious meal. Can you imagine going to a restaurant and ordering a burger … just a burger? No way! You want fries, salad, slaw, veggies—the options are endless!

Side dishes offer the perfect opportunity to be creative and explore some different ways to spice up what could otherwise be a mediocre meal. The grill isn’t only good for cooking meat, change it up and push your Weber to its full potential—and yours! There’s no reason a grill master can only be known for their steaks and sausages.

Grilling veggies before adding them to a salad is a nice way of adding even more flavour and can be worked into any kind of salad from pasta or potato to a simple garden mixture, allowing room for innovation and constant changes. Cooking homemade fries, baked beans and even getting guacamole ready is possible on the grill. All you need is a little imagination and creativity.

So heed this advice and step outside your comfort zone. It takes skill to grill the perfect steak but even more talent to perfect an entire meal on those grates.

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STEAK FRIES with Rosemary-Lemon Aioli

SERVES: 4 to 6

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

GRILLING TIME: 15 to 17 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS:

AIOLI

1 cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

FRIES

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 large russet potatoes, about 3 pounds total

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F).
  2. Whisk the aioli ingredients and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
  3. Scrub the potatoes under cold water and dry them with paper towels. Cut the potatoes lengthwise in half, and then cut each potato half lengthwise into ½-inch-thick slices. Place in a bowl and add the oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat.
  4. Grill the potato slices over direct medium heat, with the lid closed, until tender and marked by the grill, 15 to 17 minutes, turning occasionally.
  5. Serve the fries warm with rosemary-lemon aioli.

 

©2014 Weber-Stephen Products LLC. Recipe from Weber’s Big Book of Burgers™ by Jamie Purviance. Used with permission.