Grilled Chicken, Potato, and Vegetable Skewers

I'm so happy that barbecue season is finally here to stay. The days are much longer, and the weather is consistently pleasant. Also, we’ve been heaving a bag of charcoal into our cart every time we go for groceries. Is there a better sign of spring?

Making skewers is a great way to barbecue. Not only is it a fun way to eat, because everything is bite-sized, but also it makes it easier to flip the food on the grill. (Note: if using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least a few hours to slow down the burning process.) Last Saturday, Jeff marinated pieces of chicken breast overnight in a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, honey, red wine vinegar, whole grain Dijon mustard, basil, oregano, rosemary, and salt and pepper. On Sunday, he marinated baby red potato slices for about three hours in olive oil with thyme, rosemary, and salt and pepper. This blog entry won’t contain a recipe section, because there aren’t any; Jeff’s style of marinating is as follows:

- Opens a Ziploc bag
- Dumps in any combination of ingredients that he likes, in arbitrary amounts
- Adds food

Although no two marinades have turned out alike, it has never failed him. Why not live on the wild side?

As I’ve mentioned before, I am picky when it comes to potatoes; therefore, I prefer relatively thin slices for maximum flavour and crispiness. However, you could simply halve the potatoes before skewering, if you like (tip: poke some holes in them with a fork so that the marinade seeps through.)

The vegetables weren’t marinated; once skewered, we simply brushed them with olive oil, and seasoned them with salt and pepper. These babies don’t need any more help in the flavour department.

The potatoes went onto the grill first, since they take the longest to cook through; up next a little while later were the veggies. Have I ever confessed that I love burnt food? Well, I do.

Just look at the char marks on these potatoes. Burnt potatoes are a must for me (other food I prefer with a bit of a burn: onions, toast, Brussels sprouts, hot dogs, marshmallows.) Delicious!

Once the veggies were done, they were placed in a 300C oven to keep warm. The chicken skewers replaced them on the grill.


Mmmmmmmmm. What more can I say?

Once the chicken was cooked through and the potatoes were fork-tender, it was finally time to eat.

Success! The chicken was bright and tangy, with a strong lemon taste. The potatoes were perfectly crispy, and woodsy from the rosemary. The vegetables were naturally flavourful, tasting almost as if they had been roasted. All three food groups had the unmistakable and delicious taste of being grilled over charcoal. Served with my ever-present coleslaw, this spring meal of skewers left nothing to be desired. What a great way to wind down from the weekend!