During family dinner nights we love making Jeff’s tri-tip and cheesy onion potatoes. These two go together perfectly to make a meal that’s full of flavor and will satisfy everyone at the table. Whether it’s just the 3 of us or a house full of family and friends this is a meal that can be easily expanded to match the number of people you will have and still taste like it’s from a top restaurant. Jeff loves tri-tip for a variety of reasons, he says it’s easy to grill, always full of flavor and simple to plan for larger groups – add about 1/2 pound per person and you’ll have plenty. It’s the perfect pairing for yummy types of side dishes like salads, breads, veggies and potatoes. We usually serve this with Jeff’s cheesy onion potatoes and another colorful side dish or two. The cheesy onion potatoes are a hands down favorite and have I mentioned they also contain bacon? Bacon makes everything better. :)
When Jeff’s making the potato recipe for just the two of us he will often use a smaller pan and stick it in the grill where he also cooks the tri-tip (he also cuts the recipe in half). This gives the potatoes more of a smoky flavor which we love. The cooking times are the same and using the grill for all our cooking keeps the kitchen cooler during the warm summer months.
Below I’ve linked the skillet that Jeff likes to use when making his potato recipe. Le Creuset is his hands down favorite brand. Cast iron pans cook evenly and the coating on it helps makes clean up easy.
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Grilled Tri-Tip & Cheesy Onion Potatoes Recipe
- 2 Pounds Tri-Tip
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Sea Salt
- 1 Cup Teriyaki Sauce
- 2 Pounds Red Potatoes
- 1 Half Medium White Onion
- 1 Half Medium Red Onion
- 6 Oz Bacon Cooked and Chopped – I use packaged cooked and chopped bacon to save prep time
- 3 Oz Olive Oil – divided
- 8 Oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese
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Prepare the Tri-Tip by carving off any large fat areas, then generously coat/rub with the garlic powder and salt on both sides. Let set for 15 minutes.
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Place in a ziplock bag (or a dish) and add Teriyaki sauce ensuring to cover all parts of the Tri-Tip. Seal and set in refrigerator for 2 hours or longer. Over night is even better!
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Heat grill to a medium high temperature and sear on one side for 5 minutes, turn and sear for 6 – 8 minutes on the other side. This helps to seal and hold moisture.
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Move the Tri-Tip to an area of your grill without direct heat and adjust so that the temperature with the lid closed is about 400 degrees. Grill with indirect heat for about 25 minutes until the Tri-Tip internal temperature reaches 130 – 135 degrees.
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Remove from the grill and cover allowing the Tri-Tip to rest for 10 – 15 minutes before carving with the grain of the meat.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Note: I often cook this on my outdoor grill when I will be grilling meats like tri-tip or steaks, which will give it more of a smokey flavor. Just cook it on a side of your grill with indirect heating and the temp to about 400 degrees.
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Thinly slice both onion halves and the potatoes. Cut them about as thin as you can. If you have thick chunks of potatoes, you may have to increase cooking time.
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Now we will build layers in a cast iron skillet by adding 2 oz olive oil to the bottom of the pan, layer in half of the onions, then layer on half of the potatoes, then half of the bacon. Add salt and pepper to taste, then 1 oz olive oil distributed on top. Then more layers with the remaining onions, potatoes and bacon. Again salt and pepper to taste.
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Bake for 30 minutes at 425 degrees.
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Add cheese evenly around the top, lower temperature to 350 and bake another 20 minutes until the cheese is melted.
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Remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil or other lid. Covering will help it to not dry out while you are getting ready to serve.
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Caution, the cast iron skillet will be very hot, please take precautions so that you and others that may be nearby do not touch without proper protection!
You’ll have to let us know if you make Jeff’s Tri-Tip and Cheesy Onion Potatoes Recipe. We love both so much!
xo,
Kristy
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I made the cheesy potatoes last night and they are delicious! The flavors -especially the different onions-all meld together so well! Thanks-will be making this again!
Hi Jeff & Kristy,
Had friends over for a bbq last night. Couldn’t wait to try your famous cheesy potatoes.
They were a huge hit, we all loved them!
Can’t wait for leftovers!
Cheers,
Debbie
Thanks so much for sharing Debbie! So happy you liked the recipe! :) Cheers!
Just want to say this was a hit for us last night! Tri-tip is a real favorite at our house and the potatoes were so goooood! Thanks so much for posting!
PS – Wanted to share another good tri-tip marinade Jeff might like to try.
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. olive or vegetable oil