Side dishes for burgers on the grill

Start first (before the burgers)

• Grilled corn: 10–15 minutes turned occasionally, in-husk for steamed, naked for char. Goes on before the patties so the two finish together.
• Foil potatoes: halved small potatoes in a foil pack with oil and salt, 20–25 minutes over indirect heat — the longest lead time on the list.
• Baked beans in a cast-iron pan: set at the grill's cool corner when you light it; they only improve with time.

Cook alongside (same window as the patties)

• Asparagus and green onions: 3–5 minutes, direct heat, turned once — they take exactly as long as a smash burger double.
• Zucchini planks and pepper halves: 6–8 minutes cut-side down; start them with the first flip.
• Thick onion slices: a cross-section half-inch thick, grill marks on both sides, into the burger or beside it.

The zero-grill backups

• Potato salad and slaw: made ahead, out of the fridge at burger time — the cold counterpoint the plate needs anyway.
• Sliced tomato and pickles: assembled while the patties rest. Resting three minutes before serving applies to the cook as much as the burger.

Sequence it against the batch

Burger night is a timing problem more than a recipe problem: light the grill, start the foil and beans, form the patties (the calculator sized the batch and burgers per pound did the pack math), then the grate empties as the corn finishes and the patties hit. One grill, one window, everything hot at once.