Learn how to Make Campfire Potatoes

Potatoes have been an American household tenting meal staple for years. They’re simple to make, versatile, and budget-friendly. Plus, they fill you up!

I found a recipe that, in my view, tastes higher than my mother’s foiled campfire potatoes. Maintain studying to learn to make the perfect Campfire Potatoes with out foil.

Made for Every Different: Tenting and Potatoes

I grew up in a meat and potato household like many Midwesterners–most meals consisted of meat and a potato. My mother commonly made campfire potatoes, which concerned wrapping potatoes and varied greens in foil, then cooking them over a campfire or grill.

Whereas I like cooking with foil, I don’t at all times have it with me when tenting, and I used to be on a quest for a campfire potato recipe that didn’t require foil however tasted simply pretty much as good.

Campfire Potatoes are the proper addition to your meal at any time of the 12 months, but it surely’s much more perfect for winter tenting once you’re attempting to bulk up on carbohydrates to retain physique warmth.

I’ve a brand new two-year-old who’s simply discovering his palette, and after being an adventurous child, he’s discovered he can say “sure” or “no” to what I placed on his plate. Potatoes, normally, are a giant “YES”–I used to be wanting to see what he’d consider campfire potatoes.

Good Mixtures

The great thing about this recipe is it’s the bottom for a number of different recipes. I wish to make it with sizzling canine as a result of it’s low-cost. After I’m frying my potatoes, I merely add sizzling canine to the pan. (Scorching canine will cook dinner quicker than potatoes, so I waited a few minutes so as to add them).

Different mix-ins I like to incorporate with my campfire potatoes embody the next:

Meats

• Rooster sausage
• Polish sausage
• Brats
• Steak
• Floor beef
• Chopped hen
• Chopped pork
• Bacon

Greens

• Peppers
• Onion
• Inexperienced Beans
• Corn
• Carrots

Dairy

Boiling Choices

You’ll be able to boil your potatoes any approach you want, however I like to recommend utilizing a Dutch oven or pasta pot–let’s discuss the advantages of every.

Dutch Oven

A Dutch oven is a heavy-duty pot that may be extremely helpful when tenting. They seem like a stockpot (the commonest pot for making soup), however they’re much sturdier.

Dutch ovens are made totally from forged iron, so you possibly can take pleasure in all the advantages you’ll from a traditional forged iron pan. They’re versatile and may make quite a lot of recipes, from cornbread to potatoes and pasta.

These ovens will be positioned immediately in a campfire’s embers, or you should use them such as you would any pan–on a rack or a camp range. In fact, it’s also possible to use it in your house kitchen.

Dutch ovens are particularly helpful for these tenting off-the-grid once you would possibly must make your fireplace with out the comfort of cooking grates.

In addition they retain warmth properly, so you possibly can anticipate your potatoes to cook dinner quicker in a Dutch oven than every other pot you would possibly use.

Pasta Pot

After I’m boiling pasta or potatoes on the campground, I like to make use of a pasta pot. The reason being easy: I’m all concerning the best clean-up and straining course of.

Straining potatoes at a campground will be irritating. Dumping boiling water on the bottom can kill your grass, and also you run the chance of burning your self (or another person). With a pot that already has a strainer built-in, I can simply take away my potatoes with out worrying about the place my water goes.

Then when the water is cool, I sprinkle it into the grass. Some individuals like to save lots of potato water for his or her house gardens since potatoes have vitamins which are nice for soil construction and holding away pests.

The pasta pot I’ve was gifted to me years in the past, however you should purchase stainless-steel pasta pots with inserts included on Amazon.

One caveat with this methodology is you’ll need extra water than you’ll with a Dutch Oven or conventional stockpot as a result of it is advisable to cowl the potatoes over the strainer. I take advantage of about 4 quarts of water for two kilos of potatoes.

Parboiling Potatoes

Potatoes will be parboiled at house earlier than you head out to the campground. You probably have some further time and need to have your potatoes inside 2 days of arriving at your campsite, doing this will save time and mean you can take pleasure in your tenting time longer.

Your parboiled potatoes will final for two days when saved in a cooler or fridge. Try a few of our favourite coolers to take with you in your subsequent tenting journey!

Salt your water generously. Potatoes will take in the flavour of the salt. I additionally like so as to add a bay to the water after I’m boiling my potatoes as a result of I feel it provides a pleasant trace of taste.

It’s necessary to not boil potatoes during, whether or not you’re cooking them at house or within the campfire. They may disintegrate and turn out to be mushy if totally boiled, and also you need your campfire potatoes to be good and crispy.

Permit your parboiled potatoes to achieve room temperature earlier than frying them.

Campfire Options

Burn bans have been on the rise attributable to a rise in wildfires all through the US and Canada. (Keep in mind to at all times verify for burn bans earlier than you head out to the campground.)

We’ve discovered some nice campfire alternate options, so that you received’t need to go with no sizzling meal even when there’s a burn ban in your space.

You would possibly select to make use of a campfire different if it’s too sizzling out, you’re out of firewood, it’s raining, otherwise you’re simply not within the temper to get a hearth going. Your campfire potatoes might be scrumptious irrespective of the strategy you select.

Camp Range

A camp range is a superb different to a campfire. Camp stoves are normally light-weight and straightforward to convey with you when backpacking. They warmth up shortly and don’t retain warmth when turned off, so that they’re additionally secure to make use of.

For this recipe, we’re utilizing the Coleman Butane Instastart, which is our Finances Choice choose on our greatest tenting stoves listing.

It took about 12 minutes for the water to boil on this camp range and quarter-hour for the potatoes to turn out to be parboiled.

Camp Range Care Directions

Be sure that your camp range’s fuel holder is correctly locked earlier than utilizing your camp range. A misaligned fuel tank could cause leaks, and also you received’t be capable of lock the holder if it’s not aligned correctly.

At all times take away the fuel once you’re accomplished cooking. You should wait on your range to chill down earlier than eradicating it. Place the lid again on tight when not utilizing the fuel canister.

Camp Grill

A camp grill can also be a superb different to a campfire, however I wouldn’t advocate utilizing one for this recipe. If you wish to make campfire potatoes on a camp grill, use a foiled campfire potato recipe.

Pan Frying

I strongly advocate utilizing a forged iron pan (and getting one with silicone handles included, as a result of your pan might be HOT).

Potatoes simply style higher when cooked in forged iron, plus a forged iron pan is secure to take a seat down immediately in your fireplace’s flame if it is advisable to.

Season your brand-new forged iron pan at house earlier than popping out to the campground.

Once you’re able to cook dinner your potatoes, soften a few tablespoon of butter, shortening, or canola oil earlier than including the potatoes. In case you are utilizing a 10-inch forged iron pan, you’ll need to do it as soon as for every pound of potatoes.

Seasoning

Relying in your pallet, you would possibly discover utilizing salt and pepper to be too bland. Mess around with seasonings as you want. Some individuals like so as to add Outdated Bay seasoning as an alternative of a bay leaf added to the boiling water.

Attempt a few of these seasonings and herbs together with your campfire potatoes:

• Parsley
• Garlic Salt
• Rosemary
• Cayenne
• Paprika
• Garlic Powder

The Greatest Campfire Potatoes

You’re going to like these campfire potatoes! Belief me, I had a tough time getting footage as a result of my household wished to gobble them up as quickly as they have been cool sufficient to eat.

In search of less difficult campfire recipes? Try these 12 Recipes Anybody Can Make.