Do you have one of these? If not, and you have a grill, then you need one. You really, really do. I had no idea how much we needed one until we had one! We were given one not too long ago, and have made much use of it ever since. The first thing we used it for this grill season was asparagus- oh, my, goodness. Does that make grilling asparagus a piece of cake! No more tender spears falling through the grill grates into charcoal oblivion! Last week while we were camping, Andy used it to lightly cook some green beans over the fire even. While he did lose a few beans to the tiny holes in the basket, the basket itself has proven to be a winner kitchen tool that any casual griller must have.
My favorite thing to use it for though is potatoes on the grill. Especially now with the tender fresh-from-the-ground potatoes flooding the farmer’s markets. I take the potatoes, clean them, and cut them a bit if there are some larger potatoes. Then I put them on the stove to boil gently for about 10 minutes or so- till they are just barely cooked through. Then, you can toss the lightly cooked potatoes with oil, butter, and your choice of seasonings, and THEN they go into the grill basket to be finished over the fire outside.
Potatoes cooked in this manner are absolutely delightful. For the adventurous, you can add some mushrooms or chopped zucchini as well. If you are anything like me, and have been eyeing up these baskets at the store for years, wondering if they are worth it, let me assure you that they are. We have used it dozens of times- including over a campfire and high flames- and the basket still looks brand new. I can’t even say what brand we have, since ours was given to us without any labels on it, but let me assure you, if you do any sort of grilling of vegetables- this is the tool you want to keep your precious veg out of the coals (or grill bars) down below.