The Seated Gardener: Labor Day Barbecue: Grill Up Some Steak Fries

With the unofficial end of Summer here, it's time to enjoy the three day Labor Day weekend here in the United States with a barbecue. So this week at the store you'll want to pick up some steaks, burgers and hot dogs to cook on the grill.

And what goes great with all these favorites? Steak fries of course!

Did you know that you can make steak fries right on your BBQ grill? They are so easy and tasty too, especially if you add hardwood chips on top of your charcoal briquets or use water-soaked chips in a smoker box on your gas grill.

Grilled Steak Fries

2 to 4 large baking potatoes, like russets or white rose
good quality olive oil
sea salt
herbs and spices (optional)

Wash the potatoes under cold running water, brushing the skin all around with a stiff brush to clean off any soil or dirt since the potatoes will be grilled with the skin on. Dry using a clean towel.

Cut each potatoes into 8 wedges. Depending on the side of the potatoes, you may want to cut the wedges in half. Take care to cut the potatoes so that they all have approximately the same thickness.

Put the potato wedges into a large bowl and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and any herbs and spices you'd like to add. Toss the wedges to ensure they are evenly coated with the oil, salt and herbs/spices.

Try these herbs and spices to spruce up your steak fries. You'll want to use about 2 to 4 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh herbs or 1 to 2 tablespoons of dried herbs.

Rosemary

Tarragon

Chives

Sage

Thyme

Garlic Powder or Garlic Paste

Black or White Pepper

Powdered Chile Pepper (less is more with this ingredient)

Smoked Paprika

The secret to these fries is indirect grilling, so place the potato wedges on a grate not directly above the fire. On the charcoal grill, these means keeping the briquets on one side of the kettle. On a gas grill, simply turn off the burner under your fries. Grill with the lid closed, turning once after 15 minutes. Feel free to use the excess oil from the bowl to baste the fries after you turn them over.

It only takes about 30 minutes to make these steak fries. The final product tastes a lot like oven fries, only much, much better.