Name: Grilled Vegetable Skewers with Fries and Beet Dip
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 8 oz cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed; 1 large red onion, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks; 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces; 1 medium zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch half-moons; 1/3 cup olive oil, divided; 2 cloves garlic, grated, divided; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp dried oregano; 2 lb russet potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges; 1 medium cooked beet, about 6 oz, peeled and coarsely grated; 1 cup plain greek yogurt; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped; 8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes; to taste salt and black pepper

Grilled Vegetable Skewers with Fries and Beet Dip

4.4 from 484 home cooks Free

Smoky skewers of mushrooms, red onion, sweet pepper and zucchini come off the grill with blistered edges, served with thick oven fries and a vivid pink beet and yogurt dip sharpened with garlic and dill. Save it for a hot July evening when the grill is already fired up.

Prep

30 min

Cook

45 min

Total

1 hr 15 min

Serves

Level

Easy

Cuisine

Mediterranean

Method

Step 1: Heat the oven to 425F. Put the potato wedges in a pot of cold salted water, bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, just until the edges soften. Drain, let them steam dry for 5 minutes, then shake the colander hard to rough up their surfaces.
Step 2: Toss the potatoes with 3 tbsp of the olive oil and 1 tsp salt, spread them on a sheet pan, and roast 35 to 40 minutes, turning once, until crisp and craggy.
Step 3: Stir the beet, yogurt, 1 grated garlic clove, lemon juice, dill and a pinch of salt together, then chill while you grill. The color deepens to hot pink as it sits.
Step 4: Whisk the remaining olive oil with the other garlic clove, paprika, oregano, 1/2 tsp salt and some pepper. Toss the mushrooms, onion, pepper and zucchini in it and thread them alternately onto the skewers, keeping the onion layers stacked so they do not fall apart.
Step 5: Heat a grill to medium-high, around 450F, and oil the grates. Grill the skewers 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and charred at the edges and the mushrooms look glossy and juicy.
Step 6: Brush the skewers with any marinade left in the bowl as they come off the grill, and serve them with the fries and the beet dip for dunking both.

Kitchen note

Shaking parboiled potatoes creates a starchy, fuzzy surface that crisps into a crunchy crust in a hot oven, which is how you get fry texture without a pot of oil.