Name: Campfire Potatoes Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds medium sized red potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes; 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped; 1 tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; ¼ tsp garlic powder (not salt); 2 TBS butter; 8 ounces grated cheddar cheese (Can use Colby or Jack); ½ cup of crumbled cooked bacon

Campfire Potatoes go together with summer as peas go together with carrots. Whether you are camped out with the family in the woods or wanting to add a casual and rustic feel to a weeknight supper, Campfire Potatoes are a classic summertime side that pairs with just about everything! Campfire Potatoes turn every meal into an occasion!

What child doesn’t get excited about having their own little foil packet of cheesy potatoes to go along with their burger or chicken! And that includes the big kids! As a busy mom, wife, and homemaker, I love the hassle-free qualities of this dish and the minimum of fuss in both the preparation and the clean-up. These potatoes are great when you are cooking at the campground or even for just at home! Basically, other than a bit of initial prep, this fabulous side dish cooks itself!

WHAT YOU NEED TO COOK CAMPFIRE POTATOES

There is nothing extraordinary needed here. Just a few simple ingredients, put together in a simple way with extraordinarily tasty results!

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds medium sized red potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp garlic powder (not salt)

2 TBS butter

8 ounces grated cheddar cheese (Can use Colby or Jack)

½ cup of crumbled cooked bacon

HINTS AND TIPS FOR CREATING CAMPFIRE POTATOES

With my hints and tips, you can be enjoying the fun and easy Campfire Potatoes with your grilled steaks tonight! Or you can try making campfire mac and cheese!

Read through the recipe several times to acquaint yourself with any ingredients or equipment you may need.
Assemble any ingredients, tools, and equipment, etc. on the countertop ahead of time. This can help to prevent you from leaving out anything integral to the dish.
Cut your sheets of foil into 18-inch squares. You will need two squares for each packet of potatoes. Layer the sheets together, shiny side up. Spray with a bit of low-fat cooking spray to help prevent anything from sticking to the foil.
Wash your potatoes well, removing any grit, or unsightly eyes. Dry them with paper towels. I don’t bother to peel them, but if you are not fond of potato peel, then by all means do peel if you wish.
I cut my potatoes into ½- inch cubes. This is the ideal size for cooking in this manner.
To chop the onion easily, lop off the stem and root ends of the onions. Cut them in half lengthwise and peel of the skin, discarding. Using a sharp knife make lengthwise cuts down the onions towards the root ends about 1/3 inch in width. Turn the onion and make 1/3 inch wide cuts across the width of the onion. You now have a perfectly diced onion. Repeat with the other onion.
I mix together the salt, pepper, and garlic powder for the recipe. That way I can just sprinkle them onto the potatoes together instead of separately. It saves time.
I cook my bacon a pound at a time and then freeze the cooked bacon, ready to use any time I need cooked bacon. Alternatively, you can use ready-made crumbled bacon that you buy at the shops.
You don’t need to grate your own cheese for this recipe. It is perfectly acceptable to use ready grated cheese of your choice.
There is no substitute for real butter.
If your family is fond of herbs, try adding a sprinkle of dried mixed herbs, or some dried thyme, rosemary, or marjoram to the packets for additional flavor.
You can also add a splash of Worcestershire sauce to each packet for even more flavor. The choice is yours.
Make sure you seal up the foil packets really well so that nothing escapes into the fire or grill. It is the steam from the tightly sealed packets that helps to cook the potatoes.

HOW TO MAKE CAMPFIRE POTATOES

Have ready 4 double thickness sheets of aluminium foil, each about 18 inches square. Spray with some non-stick canola oil spray or grease with oil by hand.

Step 1

Chop your onions. Cut them in half lengthwise and peel of the skin, discarding. Using a sharp knife make lengthwise cuts down the onions towards the root ends, about 1/3 inch in width. Turn the onion and the make 1/3 inch wide cuts across the width of the onion. You now have a perfectly diced onion. Repeat with the other onion.

Step 2

Wash, dry and chop your potatoes into a ½-inch dice.

Step 3

Divide the potatoes evenly between the sheets of foil. Dot with butter. Sprinkle the chopped onions on top, dividing them between each sheet evenly. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Step 4

Fold the foil around the potato/onion mixture, enclosing them completely and sealing the foil tightly on all sides.

Step 5

Grill, covered, over medium heat, for 12 to 15 minutes per side, until the potatoes are tender.

Carefully cut the foil packets open, and peel back the foil. Sprinkle each with an equal amount of cheese and bacon. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes longer until the cheese melts.

Serve and enjoy!

CAN YOU BAKE CAMPFIRE POTATOES IN THE OVEN?

Absolutely! These delicious potatoes are not just for camping! Also, these packets might take up a lot of space needed for something else on the grill. To cook in the oven, simply place the foil-wrapped packets onto a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes at 400*F.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CAMPFIRE POTATOES

I cannot think of anything that doesn’t go with Campfire Potatoes. Fish, meat, or poultry, all go very well. If you want to keep them vegetarian, leave out the bacon and use a smoky alternative, such as soy bacon, and vegetarian-friendly cheese.

You could of course cook these all in one large packet, but the children enjoy so much having their own packets, its much more fun for them this way. If you wanted to you could even switch them out to become the main meal by adding sliced hot dogs, cubed ham, or smoked sausage.

Campfire Potatoes are just a fun and easy way to cook a simple side dish over an open fire or grill. With the simplicity of ingredients combined with the ease of clean-up, it is no surprise that these are a very popular summer supper addition, grilling, or not!