Two Day Magazine

Who says vegetarians can't have fun on the grill?

• Info
• 1947 Tavern
• 5744 Ellsworth Avenue
• Pittsburgh, PA 15232
• map

The 4th of July is coming up and everyone’s bringing something for the grille...well, except you, you’re a vegetarian.  

Well, you don’t have to hide out for the weekend and watch the Law and Order marathon or say you’re visiting out-of-town relatives.

Instead, impress your meat-loving friends by bringing a couple of potato treats that are great for veggie heads and non-veggies. Our old friend, the potato, has come to visit us on the 4th...but with a twist! 

Grilled chili-lime sweet potatoes and baked potato with blue cheese and chive will promote you to General of the Grille. The combination of chilli and lime with sweet potatoes are a great mix of spicy, sweet and tart prepared on the grille; what looks like just a normal baked potato in aluminum foil is really an explosive blue cheese-filled treat that will pop with flavor.

(And, who doesn’t love a great baked potato?)

Grilled Chili-Lime Sweet Potato

Ingredients

• 2 lb. sweet potatoes

• Juice and zest from 1 lime

• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon of chili pepper

• 1 clove of garlic, pulverized

• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

Cooking Instructions:

• Peel sweet potatoes and cut lengthwise in half, and divide into eighths

• Remove from heat and let the potatoes cool

• Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl

• Create a smooth dark-brown glaze in the process, about 2 minutes

• Toss sweet potatoes into bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes

• Add sweet potatoes to medium-high grill

• Flip and rotate until the potatoes start to crisp and the glaze blackens, remove from heat and serve hot.

These tasty grilled sweets will be a hit with all the kids!

Baked Potato with Blue Cheese and Chives

Ingredients:

• 4 large Russet potatoes

• 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese

• 4 ounces buttermilk

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons of fresh chives, diced

• 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, diced

Cooking Instructions

• Wash and poke potatoes with fork, lightly coat skins with vegetable oil

• Place potatoes on baking sheet in oven

• Cook until tender, about 1 hour

• Remove from oven and let cool

• Cut the potatoes lengthwise in half and using a spoon, gently scoop out contents of potatoes leaving the skin intact

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, buttermilk, chives, parsley, butter and salt

• Mash everything together until the ingredients are evenly blended

• Add the blue cheese to the mixture gently mixing into the potatoes

• Spoon contents into potato skins

• Tightly double wrap each potato with aluminum foil and place on the grille for 30-minutes, turning the potatoes every 5-minutes to ensure the potato is reheated evenly

• Remove from the grill and enjoy!

Surprise your friends by not telling them all of the preparation you have completed to bring the potatoes.  They’ll be surprised by the goodies inside. For your meat-loving friends add some bacon, shredded short rib or thinly sliced steak to potato.  

In any case, vegetarian or not, this will surely bring out the fireworks on the 4th of July!

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Catch up with Steve at 1947 Tavern, located at 5744 Ellsworth Avenue in Pittsburgh. He's there cooking up treats all summer long!