America’s Test Kitchen’s Grill-Centric Recipes for Your Fourth of July Feast

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness grilled. These are some of our undeniable culinary rights on the Fourth of July. There are three Independence Day dishes I always include on the holiday menu: a perfectly grilled protein (beef or chicken), delicious potatoes, and seasonal fruits served with ice cream.

The game plan titled “Summer Grilling Made Easy,” found in America’s Test Kitchen’s “Gatherings: Casual-Fancy Meals to Share,” made me hungry. Just reading it made my stomach growl. And the recipes were within my cooking comfort zone.

The menu and recipes were developed by Dan Zuccarello, America’s Test Kitchen’s food editor for books.

“I especially like grilling when I have guests over so everyone can mingle,” Zuccarello writes. “And I serve the dishes family style as much as possible: the dishes presented on plates are really impressive and easy to serve. »

Happy 4th of July. Grill with joy.

Advice

  • An instant-read thermometer is especially useful when grilling proteins, as it helps prevent overcooking or undercooking.
  • Look for potatoes that are 1 to 2 inches in diameter. If your potatoes are larger, cut them in half.
  • Instead of serving lemon wedges, you can cut the lemons in half and grill them on the grill rack, cut side down, for a few minutes.
  • By threading two wooden skewers through the breasts and drumsticks, you help keep the chicken intact while cooking.
Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken with Potatoes is the perfect dish for your Fourth of July feast. (Courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen)

Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken with Potatoes

The term “toad” may seem a little daring. But this is simply a technique for preparing the whole bird to flatten it so it grills easier and faster. Some call it “butterflying.” Whatever term you use, it is necessary to prepare the chicken for this delicious lemon and garlic grill. You will need a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the backbone, but the flattening process is not difficult.

For 4 people

INGREDIENTS

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving

1½ teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon of ground pepper

1 chicken (3½ to 4 pounds), giblets discarded

2 wooden skewers (12 inches)

1 pound small Yukon potatoes (about 1 to 2 inches in diameter), unpeeled

DIRECTIONS

Combine garlic, oil, salt, sugar, zest, coriander and pepper in a bowl and stir until a paste forms.

With the chicken breast side down, use kitchen scissors to cut both sides of the spine. Discard the backbone or save it for making stock, if desired. Discard excess fat or skin from the neck area. Turn the chicken over and use the heel of your hand to flatten the breastbone. Tuck the wing tips behind your back. Poke holes all over the chicken with a skewer. Insert a skewer along the length of the chicken into the thickest part of the breast and into and through the drumstick. Repeat with the second skewer on the other half of the chicken.

Rub the paste evenly over the skin of the chicken. Transfer the chicken, skin side up, to a plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

For a charcoal grill: Fully open the bottom vent. Large, rounded, lightweight chimney with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When the top coals are partially covered with ashes, pour them evenly over half of the grill. Place the cooking grate in place, cover, and fully open the lid vent. Heat the grill until hot, about 5 minutes. For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat until the grill is hot, about 15 minutes. Leave the main burner on and turn off the other burners. (Adjust the main burner or, if using a three-burner grill, the main and secondary burners, as needed, to keep the grill temperature at about 400 degrees.)

Clean and oil the cooking grate. Place the chicken, skin side up, on the cooler side of the grill with the skewers parallel to the grate. Arrange the potatoes around the chicken, on the cooler side of the grill. Cover (place the lid on the chicken if using charcoal) and cook until the potatoes are tender and the chicken breasts are 160 degrees and the thighs are 175 degrees, about 1 hour, rotating the chicken halfway through cooking.

Transfer potatoes to a plate and chicken to a cutting board. Cover chicken with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Carve chicken and serve with potatoes and lemon wedges.

— “Gatherings: Casual and Fine Meals to Share” by America’s Test Kitchen

This creamy yogurt-based dip is spiced up with ingredients like basil, dill, parsley, and tarragon. (Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen)
This creamy yogurt-based dip is topped with ingredients like basil, dill, parsley, and tarragon. (Courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen)

Creamy Herb Dip

The flavors of this tangy dip benefit from being made ahead of time, at least an hour, or better yet, up to 2 days. Feel free to use lots of fresh herbs. Basil, dill, parsley, and tarragon all work well, in any combination. Serve the dip with raw vegetables and, if desired, some crusty bread quickly grilled on the barbecue.

Makes about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup fresh basil, dill, parsley and/or tarragon, in any combination

2 green onions, trimmed and chopped (including dark green stems)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides as necessary. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate until the flavors blend, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

— “Gatherings: Casual and Fine Meals to Share” by America’s Test Kitchen

Summer tomato salad

The Fourth of July seems like the perfect time to showcase summer’s vine-ripened tomatoes in a mouth-watering salad. It’s not complicated; the simple vinaigrette combines a mixture of oil, vinegar, shallots and parsley which mix on the plate with the juice of the cut tomatoes.

For 4 people

INGREDIENTS

1 pound mixed ripe tomatoes, cored

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

1 shallot, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Cut the small tomatoes in half or quarters; cut medium tomatoes into 1/2-inch wedges; slice large tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. Arrange the tomatoes on a serving dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and shallot. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Serve.

— “Gatherings: Casual and Fine Meals to Share” by America’s Test Kitchen

Grilled peaches with buttery cookies and ice cream are a delicious dessert to top off an Independence Day meal.  (Courtesy of America's Test Kitchen)
Grilled peaches with butter cookies and ice cream are a delicious dessert to top off an Independence Day meal. (Courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen)

Grilled Peaches with Butter Cookies and Ice Cream

Grilled peaches enhance the natural sweetness of the fruit. Decorated with grill marks, the tasty fruits are accompanied by store-bought ice cream and crumbled butter biscuits. Grill peaches up to 2 days in advance if desired; bring them to room temperature before serving.

For 4 people

INGREDIENTS

1½ pounds fresh, ripe but slightly firm peaches or nectarines, halved and pitted

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cups crumbled butter cookies

1 pint vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS

For a charcoal grill: Open the bottom vent fully. Light a large chimney half-filled with charcoal briquettes (3 quarts). When the top coals are partially covered with ashes, pour them evenly over half of the grill. Place the cooking grate in place, cover, and open the lid vent fully. Heat the grill until hot, about 5 minutes. For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat the grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn the main burner to medium and turn off the other burners.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Brush cut sides of peaches with melted butter. Arrange peaches cut side down on hottest side of grill and cook until grill marks form, 5 to 7 minutes, moving fruit as needed to ensure even cooking.

The next step calls for a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan or disposable foil pan. Transfer the peaches to the pan and cover with foil. Place the pan on the cooler side of the grill and cook until the fruit is very tender and a paring knife slides in and out with little resistance, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the grill, uncover it, and set the peaches aside until ready to serve.

Cut peaches into quarters and divide among serving bowls. Sprinkle with cookie crumbs and top with scoops of ice cream. Serve.

— “Gatherings: Casual and Fine Meals to Share” by America’s Test Kitchen

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