Potatoes are the ideal camp food. They’re cheap, portable, easy to cook, and versatile. There are many ways to eat potatoes while camping, but the following are three tasty and easy ways to cook potatoes for camp meals. Remember that you can always do the prep work at home and carefully pack the ingredients into your cooler so your meal is ready to cook when you are!
1. Breakfast Hash
Making a hash is one of the best ways to use potatoes for camp meals during breakfast. You can make a complete meal in one cast iron skillet with little effort beyond some basic chopping.
- 1 diced potato per person
- 1 c veggies and/or protein per person
- 2 scrambled eggs per person
- Butter or oil
- Shredded cheese for topping
- Salt and pepper
The potatoes should be diced into small pieces and cooked thoroughly using your choice of butter or oil. Once the potatoes are browned and softened, add your choice of proteins and veggies (think ham, sausage, bacon, tofu, beans, bell peppers, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, etc.) and mix into the potatoes. When everything else in the skillet is cooked, pour in the eggs and stir to cook through. Top with cheese and you have a tasty and complete breakfast in a single skillet!
Related: Cooking With a Dutch Oven 101: Usage and Maintenance
2. Cheesy Campfire Potatoes
This recipe for potatoes for camp meals is also very simple and only requires a large bowl, a knife, and aluminum foil.
- 1 sliced potato per person
- 1/2 c shredded cheese per person
- 1 tbsp (1 pat) butter per person
- Salt and pepper
- Smoked bacon (optional)
After slicing the potatoes into thin pieces, add them to a bowl with chopped onions, salt, pepper, and your choice of cheese. Parmesan cheese and sharp cheddar are excellent additions to these campfire potatoes. Make a foil packet out of heavy duty foil and add the mixture. Top each packet with one pat of butter. Wrap the potato packet up tightly and cook for around 20-25 minutes on a grill over the fire.
Related: 3 Camping Meals You Can Make Without a Stove
3. Baked Potatoes
This is likely the most common way to cook potatoes for camp meals because it’s easy and doesn’t require any utensils other than a fork and some aluminum foil. Poke the potato all over with a fork and wrap it in foil. It can then be put directly into the hot coals of the fire. It usually takes around 30-60 minutes to cook the potatoes through, depending on the size of the potato. Use a hot pad or oven glove to squeeze the potato to test its softness, or plunge a knife through the thickest part. Once soft all the way through, remove the potatoes, let cool for a few minutes, and then add your favorite toppings!
Featured Image from Chad Elliott/Unsplash
