When I’m cooking with my family outside the restaurant, I like to start close to home — with what’s fresh, local, and available. If you’ve got a garden or a good farmers market nearby, that’s your starting point.
Today we’re building a meal around the grill — my favorite way to cook: grilled chicken thighs, smashed potatoes, fresh corn, and salad.
To start, the kids and I picked mulberries from the park and pulled arugula and cucumbers from our garden. You can use spinach or strawberries from the store — whatever you’ve got on hand. A simple salad: one green, one fruit, one veggie, one nut.
Then, it’s time to cook.
Start by boiling salted water — about six quarts. Drop in the corn for 5–7 minutes, then remove it. Add golden potatoes and boil until fork-tender, around 15–20 minutes. Let them cool, then gently smash with a spatula.
While that’s happening, fire up the grill and make two heat zones: one hot, one cool. Place the corn in the center. Season your chicken with salt, pepper, garlic, and chili powder.
Set a big cast iron skillet on the cooler side. Start the chicken skin-side down in the skillet. After 8–10 minutes, flip it over onto the hot side. Add the potatoes to the skillet with a knob of butter. Crisp, flip, season.
Brush barbecue sauce on the chicken every minute or so until it hits 165 to 180 degrees.
When the coals wind down, we move inside, plate up, and gather.
Wherever you are this holiday, I hope it’s around a fire, with good people and great food.
