Smoked potatoes and onions - maiden voyage

Disclaimer: Avid 'cue-ers - please forgive if I am making much ado about something that has been going on for years.

Broke out the Big Green Egg this past weekend and did four slabs of ribs a la GWiv. They were awesome, as usual, but while musing over what to do for sides, I thought I would try to smoke some potatoes and onions. A recollection of my great uncle's cold smokehouse in Tennessee always having onions hanging in the rafters prompted the venture. I hadn't done this before but man, was I glad I did!

I threaded long, steel skewers through the red potatoes and yellow onions and cooked them at the preferred Low and Slow temp of 225 for two hours. They were perfectly cooked and possessed a depth of smoky flavor that was awesome. Thinking it would be too much smoke flavor for one meal (on second thought, is there such a thing?) I didn't use them with the rib meal. The following morning, though, I made a batch of home fries from the diced, smoked potatoes and onions to go with my eggs and the flavor was just phenomenal. I'm onto something, I thought.

So, I got out the Davooda-clan recipe for potato salad and subbed smoked potatoes and onions for their regular counterparts and added diced Amish bacon - also cooked low and slow - to the standard potato salad fixins. What I ended up with was a cold version of what I think would be the best twice-baked potato on earth. Next time, I plan to try making smoky twice-baked's!

Thanks for letting me share!

Davooda

sounds real good,

I am learning recently most anything can and probably should be cooked in a smoker.

We've been smoking potatoes for years ever since we first encountered them in a bar in Wisconsin. My potato of choice is a medium-sized Yukon Gold.

We regularly grilled vegetables whenever grilling meats and always had trouble with the timing: often the potatoes and onions would become burnt on the outside while still undercooked in the center. Of course, we learned to like them that way.

With the smoker, it is much easier to get the vegetables cooked through -- with terrific added flavor -- and not have to deal with the overly-charred pieces.

We are still experimenting with what smokes well and whether to marinate or brush them with any added flavor -- garlic olive oil, balsamic vinegar, hot sauce. Some outstanding results were with: portobello mushrooms, scallions, fennel, thick slices of beefsteak tomatoes, red onion slices and sweet potatoes.

Any other suggestions for vegetables or flavors?

I particularly like harissa with smoked vegetables. You don't need to cook with harissa, but apply post-cook. Also, the tomato confit in Ruhlman's Charcuterie book is particularly good with smoked potato.

Davooda, thanks for sharing !

I have also been captured by the way potatoes soak in smoky flavour, and particularly enjoyed it, though I can see the potential for excess, too. At a place in Spain that grills every bit of food over oak or grapevines, I had a plate of smoked violet potatoes, mushrooms and grilled eggs which burned the memory of smoked spuds in my mind forever.

Huevos con zizas (not that you can see any effects of smoke but here's the dish in any case )

Davooda wrote:Disclaimer: Thinking it would be too much smoke flavor for one meal (on second thought, is there such a thing?) I didn't use them with the rib meal.

Davooda

Interesting you would say that...just tonight I was smoking some chicken and fish. I was also having a combo of new potatoes, golden potatoes, onions and carrots that I was going to roast. My first thought was to smoke them, too, but I thought it would be too much smokiness, lol.

So, I roasted them. Very delicious...but maybe next time I'll smoke them anyway.

spinynorman99 wrote:We've been smoking potatoes for years ever since we first encountered them in a bar in Wisconsin. My potato of choice is a medium-sized Yukon Gold.

I suspected this wasn't anything new but the results were so tasty I felt compelled to share. spinynorman - do you recall the name or general location of the bar in Wisconsin?

And yeah, I don't think having two dishes that are smoked would be too much, but Mrs. Davooda and the boys would turn up their noses. Gotta be mindful of your customers!

Tatterdemalion- huevos con zizas is calling my name, albeit with a Spanish accent!

The smoky home fries rekindled the flame, pun intended, long after the slabs of ribs had been devoured. They made a good breakfast outstanding. I hadn't had smoked potato salad before, either, but it will become part of my regular rotation!

Once I'm able to make the smoky twice-baked, I will try to remember to snap some photos to share with the forum. I'm thinking a smoky twice-baked with rare prime rib ansd grilled asaparagus will make for another memorable meal.

Davooda

I don't have a smoker big enough for "long steel skewers" -- do you think the potatoes and onions would smoke as well if just poked with a few holes?

And I have to say, the very idea of smoked potatoes and onions has me dying until I can try it for myself. Thanks for posting about it, Davooda.

The bar was in Central Wisconsin - Baraboo, maybe? It was maybe 15-20 years ago. He had a basic camping smoker that had a steady supply of good sized baking potatoes in it. Served simply with compound butter and a choice of toppings. He wasn't aiming for haute cuisine, he just liked them.

Cynthia - I used the skewers to help the potatoes and onions cook more quickly and evenly, as the metal serves as a conduit for the heat inside the smoker. You don't have to flip the spuds and onions - thus keeping the smoker closed in the approved GWiv method. I'm sure you could smoke them w/o the skewers but the metal ensures quicker and even cooking. Two hours at 225 degrees and they were perfectly coooked through.

spinynorman - I can't believe it took this long for me to try this. I've been smoking all kinds of meats for probably 25 years before the lightbulb came on...

Davooda

Davooda wrote:Cynthia - I used the skewers to help the potatoes and onions cook more quickly and evenly, as the metal serves as a conduit for the heat inside the smoker. You don't have to flip the spuds and onions - thus keeping the smoker closed in the approved GWiv method. I'm sure you could smoke them w/o the skewers but the metal ensures quicker and even cooking. Two hours at 225 degrees and they were perfectly coooked through.

Davooda

My dad used to put long aluminum nails into baked potatoes, to make them cook faster. (This was before microwaves.) I'll head for the hardware store today, if all the skewers are for is heat transference.

Can't wait. Thanks again for the idea.

Cynthia wrote: My dad used to put long aluminum nails into baked potatoes, to make them cook faster. (This was before microwaves.) I'll head for the hardware store today, if all the skewers are for is heat transference.

Can't wait. Thanks again for the idea.

Heat conductivity and being able to refrain from opening the lid on the smoker are the purposes of the skewers - aluminum nails would also likely do the trick!

Please also share how you use the smoky potatoes and onions!

Davooda

Spurred on by this thread, I smoked a load of potatoes and onions this week (about three times as many potatoes as onions), and I’ve had great fun experimenting. First taste was simply hot out of the smoker with butter, which was mighty nice. However, I agree with Davooda that it might have been palate-numbing to serve it alongside another smoked dish.

For my first experiment using smoked veg as ingredients, I created a potato soup recipe. I wanted to keep it fairly simply, to really highlight the smoke. For the bacon in this recipe, I went with maple flavored, just to add a little sweetness and one more note, besides hickory, to the smoke profile. Oh, boy, was this ever yummy. (Recipe is below.)

Next up was a tortilla española -- classic recipe, but I just substituted smoked potatoes and onions for the roasted ones in the original. A tortilla española is a mighty fine dish even plain, but the smoked version was most excellent. I can imagine serving it next to something you didn’t smoke, such as a grilled steak or roasted chicken -- a sort of joke for the palate, as most people would think the meat would be smoked, not the side dish.

For Memorial Day, I’m making potato salad with the remaining smoked potatoes -- just something simple with bacon, hard-cooked eggs, sweet onions, and mayo. Maybe a little chopped broccoli. Based on the amazing flavor in the other recipes, I expect it to be tasty.

I used red potatoes this time -- fist-sized ones -- because reds are what Davooda said he used. Next time, I might try Yukon Gold for the soup, for a smoother texture, and possibly bakers for the tortilla española, as they absorb more of the egg. But everything was so good, thanks to the smoke, that I don't think it would make much difference in the flavor of the end product.

Here's the potato soup recipe.

Smoked Potato And Onion Soup
6 strips bacon
1/2 onion (not smoked), chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 smoked onions, roughly chopped
6 smoked potatoes, roughly chopped
1 quart chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
4 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the bacon in a large pot (6 quarts minimum). When crisp, remove and set aside. Add 1/2 onion and sauté until just beginning to take on color. Stir in garlic and smoked onion, and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes. Then add the potatoes, and stir to cover with bacon fat and onion. Add broth, milk, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for one hour, or until ingredients are very tender. Remove thyme sprigs. Let cool for a few minutes, then puree with stick blender. (No need to make it perfectly smooth -- a little roughness in texture suits the smoky taste.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, with crumbled bacon as garnish.

It might be nice to try this with cream, instead of milk, for an even silkier mouth-feel. Next time.

Thanks again for the inspiration, Davooda.

Smoked Potato And Onion Soup
6 strips bacon
1/2 onion (not smoked), chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 smoked onions, roughly chopped
6 smoked potatoes, roughly chopped
1 quart chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
4 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Cynthia - your recipe has inspired me to try my family fave Corn Chowder recipe (very close to this one but with sweet corn added) with smoked potatoes. Isn't LTH just great?!

Davooda

Cynthia wrote:I can imagine serving it next to something you didn’t smoke, such as a grilled steak or roasted chicken -- a sort of joke for the palate, as most people would think the meat would be smoked, not the side dish.

Interesting, very interesting!

Davooda wrote:
Isn't LTH just great?!

Davooda

Absolutely. I would never have thought to smoke potatoes and onions without your post. While I'm very happy smoking chicken and fish, the potatoes and onions were great fun -- and the smoked potato salad blew away the folks at the party I attended this weekend, as it was so unexpected. Good stuff.

Hope your chowder delights you as much as my soup pleased me.

This thread inspired me to go wild in experimental smoking . Non-meat items I have now smoked: green cabbage, red cabbage, onion, potato (reg. and sweet), portabella mushrooms, asparagus and turnips. All of it was good on its own, and used in various prepared dishes. Not everyone liked the smoked potato salad. Some people are purists when it comes to potato salad I've come to learn! Asparagus is probably better grilled or steamed. My favorites were the onion, portabella mushrooms and (SURPRISE) the turnips. Turnips when cooked low and slow turn out smoky sweet. The onions were great, but difficult to chop up and use after smoking. The smoked portabella mushroom would make a happy meal entrée for me any time. What other fruits and veggies have any of you tried in the smoker?

razbry wrote:This thread inspired me to go wild in experimental smoking . Non-meat items I have now smoked: green cabbage, red cabbage, onion, potato (reg. and sweet), portabella mushrooms, asparagus and turnips. All of it was good on its own, and used in various prepared dishes. Not everyone liked the smoked potato salad. Some people are purists when it comes to potato salad I've come to learn! Asparagus is probably better grilled or steamed. My favorites were the onion, portabella mushrooms and (SURPRISE) the turnips. Turnips when cooked low and slow turn out smoky sweet. The onions were great, but difficult to chop up and use after smoking. The smoked portabella mushroom would make a happy meal entrée for me any time. What other fruits and veggies have any of you tried in the smoker?

nice experimentation razbry, the onions I have to try.

I have done garlic a few times, and of course jalapenos(stuffed).

I can't say I've tried it, but the idea of smoked eggs from Ideas In Food is quite intriguing. They've got two posts on the topic: The Porous Egg and The Porous Egg, Revisited. Note that the posts are about switching from actually smoking the eggs to using a paste of smoke powder to infuse the eggs with smoke flavor and ending up with completely raw smoked eggs.

-Dan

dansch wrote:I can't say I've tried it, but the idea of smoked eggs from Ideas In Food is quite intriguing. They've got two posts on the topic: The Porous Egg and The Porous Egg, Revisited. Note that the posts are about switching from actually smoking the eggs to using a paste of smoke powder to infuse the eggs with smoke flavor and ending up with completely raw smoked eggs.

-Dan

I'd think a smoked egg, like a tea egg, needs to be cooked first, then smoked. Or am I mistaken, was a smoke flavored raw egg a desired result?

Regards,

After reading this I did spinach (in a pan on the smoker, not just on the grill itself) and tomatoes. I slipped the tomatoes out of their skins and made them into soup.

took the smoked potaotes and onion to the extreme I believe last Saturday. Smoked some Spam, and some garlic, and added it to a basic mronay sauce. layered slice pototo, onion, smoked spam, and sauce, and smoked a tin of the mixture under my slabs of ribs. took 4 hours, and I ate it for the next few days... brilliant!

mornay sauce, squeezing in smoked garlic:


layer of spam augratin:


finished product:


mercy..!

Pretty neat thread, I never thought I'd enjoy hanging out with a room full of smokers!

jimswide - awesome dish! Can't wait to try it - I'm awaiting delivery of a new seal for my BGE since I melted the last one burning off coals/drippings/etc. I'm typically not a SPAM fan but I think I can get my arms around this one!

Thanks for sharing!

Davooda

Davooda wrote: I'm typically not a SPAM fan but I think I can get my arms around this one!

Give it a try with a bologna chub instead. I'll bet that would be good, too. Hmmm. I think I just gave myself an idea.

Davooda wrote:jimswide - awesome dish! Can't wait to try it - I'm awaiting delivery of a new seal for my BGE since I melted the last one burning off coals/drippings/etc. I'm typically not a SPAM fan but I think I can get my arms around this one!

Thanks for sharing!

Davooda

thanks, it was very good, and better the 2nd and 3rd day..

I think I will stry stevez's rec of bologna, I have heard of that but never tried it.