By Memorial Day, and the cookout is three: Robert, Naomi, Mama. James is in Columbia studying for summer classes. Carrie is here but spending the holiday at the library, working her last shifts before Japan. The three-ness is the norm, and the norm is the peace, and the peace is the grill and the piazza and the ribs that Robert makes with the garlic powder I pretend not to know about.
Joy came for the afternoon. She wore a hat made from newspaper — folded, decorated with markers, the kind of hat that a fifty-nine-year-old woman makes because hats are festive and newspapers are available and the combination of the two is Joy's aesthetic: resourceful, joyful, immune to the judgment of people who consider newspaper hats inappropriate for adults. Joy considers everything appropriate. Joy is correct.
Mama sat on the piazza in the wheelchair and watched Joy dance — Joy dances at all outdoor events, the dancing more enthusiasm than technique, the technique irrelevant because the point of Joy's dancing is not the form but the feeling, and the feeling is happiness, and the happiness is expressed through arms that wave and feet that stomp and a body that moves with the particular freedom of a woman who has never learned to be self-conscious, because self-consciousness requires a self that watches itself, and Joy's self is too busy living to watch.
I made coleslaw and corn on the cob and butter beans — the sides that go with Robert's ribs, the Memorial Day sides, the dishes that say summer has begun and the beginning is the permission to eat outside and to be messy and to let the butter run down your chin, because Memorial Day is not the holiday for napkins. It is the holiday for hands.
The butter beans and coleslaw were already handled, but I needed one more thing on that grill — something that could hold its own next to Robert’s ribs without asking too much of me on a day that was already full in the best possible way. Grilled potatoes and peppers are exactly that: easy enough to throw together while Joy is dancing and Mama is watching from the piazza, hearty enough to feel like a real side, and messy enough in all the right ways to fit Memorial Day’s whole philosophy of hands over napkins.
Grilled Potatoes & Peppers
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs baby red potatoes, halved
- 2 bell peppers (any color), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into wedges
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Parboil the potatoes. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the halved potatoes and cook for 8–10 minutes until just fork-tender but not fully cooked. Drain and let cool slightly.
- Season the vegetables. In a large bowl, combine the parboiled potatoes, bell peppers, and onion wedges. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss well to coat evenly.
- Prepare the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F). Lightly oil the grates or use a grill basket for easier handling.
- Grill the vegetables. Arrange the potatoes and peppers on the grill or in a grill basket in a single layer. Grill for 10–12 minutes, turning occasionally, until the potatoes are golden and slightly charred and the peppers are tender with good grill marks.
- Serve. Transfer to a platter, taste and adjust seasoning, and scatter fresh parsley over the top if using. Serve hot, right off the grill.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 310mg