Plank box on the grill (long but kinda cool)

NibbleMeThis

I tried something kind of new on the Egg yesterday.  Plank box grilled mashed potatoes



I say, "kind of new" because I have planked mashed potatoes on the Egg before but without the sides.  You just mound up as much as you can on a plank and go from there.   But this is a recipe that I found in Ted Reader's new book, Gastro Grilling, and I thought we'd give it a try because it sounded good.

Think of it as hot crash potatoes topped with caramelized onions and a creamy mashed potato and cheese mixture.  Yeah, sounds awesome, right?

Built the box almost as directed in the book using store bought planks - too expensive.  He recommends the cheaper untreated cedar shingles and shims.  Notice the slight warp in the darker board.  That will come into play.



He didn't say whether or not to soak the box but it was a direct cook, so I made that assumption.



Next we boiled some red potatoes and caramelized some onions.  I smashed 3 whole potatoes on the bottom of the box like hot crash potatoes and seasoned those.  I put the onions and some garlic on top of that.



We used the rest of the potatoes to make a cheesy mashed potatoes with smoked Edam, mozzarella, more garlic, Mexican crema, and salt and pepper to taste.  Spooned that  on top of the onions and smashed potatoes.   Put that on direct at 375°F.  In the first 10-15 minutes, that warp became more pronounced until it actually split the ends!



Nothing was leaking out so I just let it go.   I did put a GrillGrate under it just to protect the bottom a little in case it split (didn't).   After about 30 minutes, I put a little more smoked Edam cheese and some of Ted's Bone Dust rub on top.   Let it finish for another 10-15 minutes.



I served it with a tri-tip that I grilled on an open pit using one of his other recipes.



The results were excellent.  They were creamy, slightly smoky, and had a peppery kick that I like.  I ate more as a snack at 1:30am. 

That said, it was quite a production and I'd probably only do this again (with the box) when cooking for company, since it makes a great presentation for guests.  I would like to try it using a layer of shredded hash browns to make a crispy crust on the bottom and sides.  I was thinking we could press the frozen hash browns in, pre-cook it maybe for 10-15 minutes before adding the onions and mashed potatoes.

Anyway, thought it was a cool idea that some might want to try out. 

DMW

Wow...never would have thought of mashed potatoes on the egg. Nice tri-tip as well. =D>

NibbleMeThis

For awhile (3 or 4 years ago) it seemed like everyone was doing plank grilled mashed potatoes on here.  You know how things run in cycles

Thanks on the tri-tip.  Cooked it on an open fire pit, just because.  Stole the raised grate from my Egg to put over some oak coals.  Fun but I prefer to use one of our Eggs!

henapple

Well done

SmokeyPitt

Wow that looks awesome!  Silly question- but do you just use little paneling nails to hold the box together?   It looks like it would be a great tater dish even if you didn't build the box for it.   It's a cool idea to use both crashed and mashed taters.  I thing your suggestion of using a layer of hash browns would be extra cool..taters 3 ways!   I think you should top it off with scalloped potatoes . 

NibbleMeThis

Now that is a great suggestion too!

In the book, he said to use 1" nails with a flat head and specifically said not to use finishing nails.  I didn't read that part and just used my pneumatic brad nailer with 1" brads.  Seemed to work just fine.

yzzi

I've had Cigar boxes stashed for this sort of thing, but haven't done it yet. Saw someone post something similar with baked beans. Gotta try it sometime.

Jeremiah

Wow. You all continue to surprise me. That is incredible!!

Gator_Man

NibbleMeThis said:

I tried something kind of new on the Egg yesterday.  Plank box grilled mashed potatoes



I say, "kind of new" because I have planked mashed potatoes on the Egg before but without the sides.  You just mound up as much as you can on a plank and go from there.   But this is a recipe that I found in Ted Reader's new book, Gastro Grilling, and I thought we'd give it a try because it sounded good.

Think of it as hot crash potatoes topped with caramelized onions and a creamy mashed potato and cheese mixture.  Yeah, sounds awesome, right?

Built the box almost as directed in the book using store bought planks - too expensive.  He recommends the cheaper untreated cedar shingles and shims.  Notice the slight warp in the darker board.  That will come into play.



He didn't say whether or not to soak the box but it was a direct cook, so I made that assumption.



Next we boiled some red potatoes and caramelized some onions.  I smashed 3 whole potatoes on the bottom of the box like hot crash potatoes and seasoned those.  I put the onions and some garlic on top of that.



We used the rest of the potatoes to make a cheesy mashed potatoes with smoked Edam, mozzarella, more garlic, Mexican crema, and salt and pepper to taste.  Spooned that  on top of the onions and smashed potatoes.   Put that on direct at 375°F.  In the first 10-15 minutes, that warp became more pronounced until it actually split the ends!



Nothing was leaking out so I just let it go.   I did put a GrillGrate under it just to protect the bottom a little in case it split (didn't).   After about 30 minutes, I put a little more smoked Edam cheese and some of Ted's Bone Dust rub on top.   Let it finish for another 10-15 minutes.



I served it with a tri-tip that I grilled on an open pit using one of his other recipes.



The results were excellent.  They were creamy, slightly smoky, and had a peppery kick that I like.  I ate more as a snack at 1:30am. 

That said, it was quite a production and I'd probably only do this again (with the box) when cooking for company, since it makes a great presentation for guests.  I would like to try it using a layer of shredded hash browns to make a crispy crust on the bottom and sides.  I was thinking we could press the frozen hash browns in, pre-cook it maybe for 10-15 minutes before adding the onions and mashed potatoes.

Anyway, thought it was a cool idea that some might want to try out. 

Wow that's awesome! did the cedar add any flavor or is it just a vessel to hold the taters?

Griffin

You rock, Man!! Very impressive. i was going to ask about the nails as well. ^:)^