Before I begin, let me just get this out of the way – these pictures aren’t my favorite. As I’m writing this post, they’re bothering me more and more. Total brown-town. If I wasn’t such a lazy blogger, I’d remake this recipe just to snap better pictures. Add in a splash of color or a fork. Something festive. Buuut that takes effort and it’s Friday and I’m at work annnnd kind of tired. Oh well. It’s a shame that the pics are “meh”, cause these grilled skewers are absolutely delicious. Maybe one day I’ll tweet or post a pic of them on Facebook for you folks…but for now, just accept them for all their neutral glory.
Okay, lets get to the actual food! Barbecue potato and pumpkin skewers. I had some leftover pumpkin and as I was thinking about what to make with it, I started to wonder why almost every recipe you see on the net involves pumpkin puree. You know what I’m talking about – all these recipes are sweet desserts and include cinnamon. There are so many other flavors to pair with pumpkin…why is it ALWAYS cinnamon?! Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against that spice (or purees) but isn’t it time to highlight other aspects of this vegetable? The texture of solid pumpkin is great and can be paired with amazing savory stuff.
Since pumpkin is firm like a potato, I decided to pair them together. So I tenderly poach potatoes and pumpkin, toss in BBQ sauce with a little curry powder and then skewer before tossing it on the grill where it becomes toasty and charred. To serve, I threw on a few thinly sliced grilled onions, It completely reminded me of summer. It’s like a summertime twist on a traditionally autumn veggie. Seriously…what reminds you more of summer than grilling BBQed food? Not much. It’s super tasty and easy to make….I can’t believe no one has thought of this before!
One more thing…Happy November 1st everyone! :)
10 oz potatoes
12 oz fresh pumpkin
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion
Salt/pepper, to taste
Thinly slice the red onion.
Wash the potatoes. Cut each potato into quarters (or into 6ths if it is a large potato).
Peel the pumpkin. Remove seeds/membrane. Cut the flesh into cubes the same size as the pumpkin.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a large pinch of salt. Add the cubed potatoes. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add pumpkin. Cook for 7-8 minutes. Strain. Put the hot potatoes/pumpkin into a large bowl. Pour in the BBQ sauce, curry powder, and hot sauce (if using) with a pinch of salt/pepper. Gently stir so everything is coated. Let everything cool on the counter before skewering; approximately 20 minutes.
Heat the grill to medium-high.
Put alternating slices of the potato and pumpkin on a wooden skewer. Repeat until done (I had 6 skewers). Grill for 4-5 minutes per side, occasionally drizzling with oil.
Place the sliced red onion on the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve over the skewers.
Enjoy!
