Picnic Sausage & Potato Kebabs

June 10, 2009




3/4 lb. petite new potatoes (10-12)

1/4 c. water

1 tsp olive oil

1 garlic clove

3/4 tsp dried dill weed

1/8 tsp each salt and pepper

6 large green onions

1 pkg (1 lb) cooked bratwurst (5-6 sausages)

12 cherry tomatoes



1. Cut potatoes in half and cook in water in microwave for 5-7 minutes until just fork tender. Drain, then drizzle with oil. Press garlic into potatoes, and add seasoning. Mix gently.



2. Trim root ends from green onions. Cut 24 piece, each approx. 2 inches long. Add to potatoes and toss gently.



3. Cut brats diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Alternately thread bratwurst, potatoes, onions, and cherry tomatoes onto six 12-inch skewers.



4. Grill kebabs, uncovered, 6-8 minutes or until bratwurst is browned, turning frequently.

Recipe from Casual Cooking by The Pampered Chef



CHANGES I MADE:

• I didn't have garlic or dill weed (I don't like dill weed much, and the name makes me chuckle like Beavis and Butthead), so I substituted Rosemary & Herb seasoning from The Pampered Chef. Good substitution. The potatoes were terrific.


• We had fresh brats, not precooked meat, so Bill grilled them for a while before we cut them and put them on the kebabs. Worked out just fine.


• I couldn't find new potatoes, so I had to use old ones. Har, har. Actually, I used little red B-size potatoes, and I cute them into quarters instead of halves. The halves might have been better in terms of putting them on the skewers, but they were fine. None fell off, anyhow.


• I didn't mix the green onions in with the potatoes. Also fine.

THINGS I LEARNED:

• I still don't care for brats too much. The recipe looked great, so I decided to try them, but I just don't like them. I may try the recipe with smoked sausage next time. Bill and the girls loved the meat, though, so maybe not.


• Grilled green onions are the BOMB! They were outstanding. Really. I might just plant some in the garden next year. Mmmmm...


• I'll probably substitute grape tomatoes for cherry tomatoes next time. Cherry tomatoes are not exactly bite-sized, especially for the kids, and cutting grilled tomatoes up is a mess. The smaller grape tomatoes may hold up a bit better on the grill, too. I might also try red bell pepper pieces.

OVERALL OPINIONS:

ME: I'll make it again, for certain, but I didn't care for the meat. The potatoes and onions were especially good, though. I think with some of the substitutions above, these could be amazing.

BILL: He loved them. He ate four and cleaned up some of the girls' leftovers.

EMMA: She liked the sausage, the potatoes, and the tomatoes. She was not a fan of the onions.

GEORGIA: She liked the sausage. She isn't generally a fan of potatoes, tomatoes, or green onions, so the fact that she just ate the meat was no surprise.