“Patio Fries” is a name I came up with because it sounds better than if I were to say “frozen Trader Joe’s fries cooked on the grill.” For a long time the fries of choice were sweet potato fries. Trader Joe’s has recently discontinued that product (doh!) and so lately I’ve been using their crinkle cut wedge fries. I suppose I could make my own, but I really don’t have time for the necessary par-boiling of the cut fries before roasting them on the grill.

• One bag of frozen fries
• 1/4 cup of peanut oil
• salt & pepper to taste, or seasoning salt–I like to use Penzey’s 4/S

Toss the fries with the oil and seasoning. To cook them I use an old roasting pan that has become my trusty grill pan. Put the fries in the pan and put the pan on the grill over a hot fire. Cook for 10-15 minutes, tossing every three to five minutes. I find that I still have enough fire left in the coals at this point to cook burgers or chicken or one other thing.

The length of cooking time will depend on the type of fries. The sweet potato fries used to take longer and if you didn’t cook them long enough there would be a few that would still have a tiny bit of crunch (ick). The crinkle cut wedge fries don’t seem to need that long.