Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro Chimichurri

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro Chimichurri are the perfect side dish to make this summer! The mild sweetness and char of the potatoes combined with the fresh, bright flavors of the chimichurri is the ultimate combination!

I put sweet potatoes on the grill for the first time last week. I don’t know what took me so long because it’s possibly the best way I’ve prepared them. These Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro Chimichurri are life changing and you need to make them, like now!

Potatoes aren’t my go-to vegetable, but when I do eat them I always reach for a sweet potato. There’s so much more flavor, not to mention nutrients in them. A lot of people seem to think the only way to eat them is drowning in brown sugar and butter or in casserole form topped with marshmallows.

I don’t quite understand how that’s considered a side dish and not dessert. It kind of defeats the healthy qualities of the sweet potato when it’s drowning in sugar. I actually prefer my sweet potatoes with savory things since they already have plenty of natural sweetness.

I’ve added them to breakfast tacos, sliced them thin and turned them into nachos and even used them as a replacement for pasta in this lasagna inspired dish. This however, was my first time sticking them on the grill and it was not only easy, but brought out a ton of extra flavor in them.

Grilling sweet potatoes is simple, but I highly recommend par cooking them on the stove beforehand. If you don’t, it’s likely they’ll be black on the outside and raw on the inside and no one wants that.

Once the potatoes are fork tender, slice them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch rounds. I left the skin on mine because I’m lazy, but feel free to peel them if you’re not a fan of skin. The rounds are tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper then placed on oiled grill grates to cook for approximately 2 minutes per side.

As if the grilled sweet potatoes weren’t delicious enough with their caramelization and charred edges, I decided to make cilantro chimichurri to drizzle/dip them in. It’s fresh, bright flavor goes perfect with sweetness from the sweet potatoes.

The chimichurri recipe is also used in my Steak Fajita Skewers recipe, which if you haven’t made, you must. In fact the sweet potatoes would be a great side dish to serve with them! Enjoy!

More Grilled Side Dishes

Grilled Radishes with Brown Butter, Thyme and Sea Salt

Grilled Zucchini Corn Tomato Salad

Grilled Watermelon, Feta and Basil Salad

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Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro Chimichurri

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

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Ingredients

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• Olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Cilantro Chimichurri

• 1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup packed flat leaf parsley
• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Parcook the sweet potatoes: Place in a pot of water and boil until fork-tender; let cool. Cut off the ends and slice into approximately 1/4 - 1/2 inch rounds. Place the rounds on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
2. Place all of the ingredients for the cilantro chimichurri into a food processor and purée until smooth or your preferred consistency. Taste for seasoning. Pour into a small bowl and set aside until ready to serve. Makes 1 cup.
3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates. Place the sweet potato slices onto the prepared grill and cook for approximately 2 minutes per side or until grill marks appear and they're slightly charred on the edges.
4. Remove the sweet potato rounds from the grill onto a serving plate and spoon some of the cilantro chimichurri over the top. Serve the remaining chimichurri on the side.