Barbeque Spiced Roasted Potato Nuggets

Barbeque Spiced Roasted Potato Nuggets

You tend to see loads of barbeque recipes on food websites and blogs at this time of year. While there are many great recipes out there for main dishes like steaks, ribs, chicken and chops, there remains the quandary of what to serve as side dishes.

While dry rubbing some pork loin to slow barbeque in my smoker, my son, who absolutely loves roasted potatoes was bemoaning the fact that during the summer grilling months his favorite potato side dish  made only rare appearances in our meal rotation. That complaint turned out to be a moment of inspiration when I suddenly thought that barbeque roasted potatoes, especially when cut smaller like in our Lemon Herb Roasted Potato Nuggets, might be an excellent idea. I quickly decided that some of the same spice rub that was going on the pork would be able to be used to ramp up the flavor of some simple roasted potatoes.

They were an instant hit and even as we were clearing for dessert, the last few remaining nuggets were snatched up and popped into the mouths of our dinner guests as the serving plate was being removed from the table. So, in addition to this great rub being able to be used on great ribs, steaks, chops and burgers, I've now discovered  it makes a fantastic addition to a summer barbeque side dish. I gotta go make another batch of the stuff because I just know we are going to use a lot of it this summer.

Serves 4

• 6- 8 large sized russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks

Parboil the potatoes in salted water for about 3-4 minutes, no longer.

Meanwhile in a 375 degree F oven, heat a baking pan of sufficient size to hold your potatoes without crowding them. A glass or metal pan is fine, as long as it is well heated in the oven beforehand. This will help to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the pan.

After parboiling, drain the potatoes and let them stand for 5 minutes. Then toss the potatoes with:

• ¼ to 1/3 cup olive oil (butter or other oil will work as well; a butter/olive oil combination is very good too)
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper
• 4-6 tbsp Smokin' Summer Spice Dry Rub
• 1 whole garlic bulb broken into about 4 pieces (optional)

Transfer the seasoned potatoes, garlic and oil to the hot baking pan. These should sizzle as they hit the pan; a good indication that they will not stick. Roast the potatoes for about 60-75 minutes or until they are nicely golden brown all over, turning them every 20 minutes or so. After the first 10 minutes, give the pan a shake to make sure the potatoes are not stuck to it. The roasted garlic may have to be removed before the potatoes are finished as it generally cooks faster.