Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Add these sweet potatoes to the menu when you’re grilling pork chops or a pork tenderloin. They can cook alongside the meat and need no attention, other than an occasional turn to prevent the skin from blackening. They need to cook with the grill lid on so that the grill emulates an oven. You can use moist, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (sometimes called yams), but the Japanese varieties with pale, dry flesh are even tastier because they are not candy-sweet. Cooked this way, the drier varieties taste almost like roasted chestnuts.
SERVES 4
4 sweet potatoes, each about 10 ounces
Unsalted butter
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Whole nutmeg, for grating
Prepare a moderate charcoal fire for indirect grilling or preheat a gas grill to medium-high (375° to 400°F). You can also grill these on a propane grill. Most importantly, be sure the grill you are using has a cover.
Prick each sweet potato in several places with a fork. Place them on the grill over heat. Cover the grill (leaving the vents open on a charcoal grill) and cook, turning occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced, 40 to 45 minutes. Do not place potatoes directly over open flame to prevent burning. Indirect heat or low flame once grill is thoroughly heated is best.
Slit each sweet potato and tuck a large nugget of butter inside. Season with salt, a couple of grinds of black pepper, and a scraping of nutmeg. Serve immediately.