Side dishes

NH Egghead

I am having my brother and his wife over for dinner this weekend and it will be their first meal cooked on the egg. I am going to treat them to Beef Wellington, but I am having trouble coming up with some side dishes.

Any ideas?

boston_stoker

http://www.foodnetwork.com/tylers-ultimate/ultimate-beef-wellington/index.html

SmokeyPitt

I think I would go with twice baked potatoes and grilled asparagus. One nice thing about twice baked is you can do the first bake ahead of time, prepare them, and then just heat them up on the grill later.

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead

As already mentioned....Potatoes are always welcome. What else would you expect from Mr. Potatohead??
I also do a tossed, grilled veggie thing with broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers, mushrooms, green beans(when they are fresh from the garden), red onion and asparagus.
This gets oiled and tossed with grilling spices of you choice and then into the Egg on a slatted pan, tossed and turned a few times until just browning.
Hard to go wrong with this one

PattyO

Grilled vegs, for sure. Can be done on skewers or a grill basket. Here's my recipe;
Basting Sauce
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup chopped shallots
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

Vegetables
Any combo you want, here is a suggestion..
2 large ears fresh corn, husked, each cut crosswise
into 4 pieces
1 small eggplant (about 1 pound), cut crosswise
into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 large red onion, cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges
1 large red bell pepper, seeded, cut lengthwise into
6 strips
1 large yellow or green bell pepper, seeded, cut
lengthwise into 6 strips
1 large zucchini and yellow summer squash, trimmed, quartered lengthwise
8 asparagus spears, trimmed
1 large carrot, peeled, cut on deep diagonal into
1/4-inch-thick slices

Marinate and/or brush vegs with sauce. Grill. It can take from ten to thirty minutes depending on how hot the fire is and how done you want them.


And I always make a grilled fruit. This is from Steve Raichlen..
Grilled Pineapple
1 ripe golden pineapple
2 to 3 cups sweet Muscat wine or other dessert wine
1/3 to 1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 cup granulated sugar in a shallow dish (optional)
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt (the larger the crystals, the better)

For serving (optional):

1 pint vanilla, creme brulee, or dulce de leche ice cream (optional)
Fresh mint sprigs (optional)


Directions:
Twist the crown (leafy top) off the pineapple and set it aside, if desired, for garnish, or cut it off with a sharp knife). Trim a thin slice off the top (if you've twisted the crown off) and the bottom so the pineapple sits level. Cut the rind off the pineapple. Cut into 1/2-inch thick slices; core each slice with a knife or appropriately sized cookie or biscuit cutter, or the wide end of a large metal pastry tip.
In a medium bowl, combine the wine and honey and whisk to mix.

Arrange the pineapple slices in a large nonreactive baking dish. Pour the wine-honey mixture over the pineapple and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or as long as overnight, turning the slices a few times so they marinate evenly.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and whisk or stir until smooth. Add to a heavy saucepan. Strain the marinade into the saucepan and stir into the cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil, and cook until thick and syrupy: you should have about 1 cup. Set the syrup aside and let cool.

Set up your grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. Brush and oil the grill grate.

If using the sugar, dip each pineapple piece in the sugar, crusting both sides, shaking off the excess. Arrange the pineapple slices on the grill grate. Grill until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side.

Transfer the pineapple slices to ice cream-filled bowls or a platter. Pour the Muscat syrup on top. Lightly sprinkle the fruit with coarse salt. Garnish with the pineapple crown or fresh mint sprigs and serve at once.

NH Egghead

PattyO, thanks for the detailed info......I love the grilled pineapple idea.

I think I will go with the twice baked potoato and some grilled veggies, grilled pineapple for dessert.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I will take pics and share them with you next week.