If You Have Potatoes And Ground Beef, Make A Skewer Dinner On The Grill In A Flash

Penn and Teller, Simon and Garfunkel ... beef and potatoes. No matter what these duos produce together, it's always amazing. Stacking thin slices of potato between layers of seasoned ground beef on a skewer and placing this heavenly parcel on the grill creates something much greater than the sum of its parts. Along with a buttery basting, this beef and potato skewer has cropped up all over social media, with a variety of approaches, ingredients, and cooking methods. Let's get into the fundamentals, so you can create your own skewers at home.

Get russet or yellow potatoes and slice them into discs no thicker than ¼-inch, to make sure they cook all the way through. You can toss these in oil and seasonings for extra flavor, but if you do, consider reducing the seasonings in your beef mixture to not overdo it. Next, throw about a pound of 15% fat ground beef into a bowl and add your fresh ingredients. These could be diced onions, minced garlic, chopped parsley, grated cheese, or finely chopped peppers or chilis. Then add salt along with dry spices, such as coriander, black pepper, cumin, paprika, mustard powder, Mexican oregano, or a pre-made spice mix of your choice. 

Lastly, add wet flavorings for moisture and depth of flavor, like mustard, tomato paste, mayonnaise, or Worcestershire sauce. Keep wet ingredients to no more than two tablespoons total to prevent the mixture falling apart. Mix by hand until combined, but stop before you overwork the beef.

To build the skewers, alternate potato slices and the ground beef mixture formed into meatballs, in layers that are roughly equal thickness. Ensuring each layer is well-compressed without spilling beef out the sides will help keep them together as they cook. Put these on the grill at a low heat, around 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and close the lid to help them cook through. Cooking low and slow gives the potatoes time to cook fully, absorbing the beef fat as it melts, turn them regularly for even cooking. 

Meanwhile, you can prepare your butter baste. At its simplest, you can melt unsalted butter and mix in fresh herbs or whatever seasoning you might want, but you can also add honey, bacon grease, chiles, garlic, or any other flavorings. Slather the skewers with the melted butter mixture when you're nearly done. Use a thermometer to ensure the beef on the inside is at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and you can poke a skewer stick into a potato slice to check it's tender all the way through. Baste again, and like burgers, let them rest for ten minutes to retain their juices and give the potatoes more time to absorb the melted beef fat. You can also get creative with this recipe  — why not substitute some ground beef for ground chorizo and finish with chimichurri, or add in gochujang and soy sauce for a Korean spin?