Campfire Cheesy Potatoes - Your New Favorite Outdoor Side

 

Somewhere back in Grade 8, back in the olden days, as my grandchildren would call them, my Girl Guide Company went on a hike into the woods down by the river here in town. It was late spring, and there was still snow on the ground. I remember being cold and tired, but what I remember most of all was cooking our lunch over an open fire. 

Hobo Stew, it was called, and I have to say I was not a fan.  I didn't like anything with ground beef in it anyway, but this was on another level.  A mix of ground beef, canned soup, and canned beans of some sort. A shame, really, as I had had some very high expectations, being the gourmand that I have always been.

We are coming into the season now where the temperatures are warming up nicely and the children are all out of school for the next two months here in Canada. This is a great opportunity for families to get together hiking, camping, enjoying BBQ suppers, and taking advantage of the sunny days to enjoy eating their meals outdoors and Al Fresco.

Quick and easy is the order of the day! Meals and side dishes that don't require a lot of time or effort, or a multitude of ingredients!  This is particularly applicable when camping!  Nobody wants, expects or should have to cook a gourmet meal when cooking outdoors at a camp, or even in your own backyard.

These Campfire Cheesy Potatoes fit the bill perfectly and are designed to use simple ingredients! You can cook them either on the grill or in the oven. I don't have a grill myself, so I do them in the oven. They work beautifully both ways!  I can also promise you that they are infinitely tastier than anything called Hobo Stew! You also won’t have to hike through melting snow to enjoy them!

 

An easy side dish, the potatoes cook in an aluminum foil packet for ease of clean up as well. With the flavors of onion and a finishing touch of rich cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, this simple potato side dish always goes down a real treat!  

Not only are they very tasty, but they are incredibly easy to put together.  Plus, the fact that they are cooked in a foil packet means there is little to no clean-up to take care of afterwards! BONUS!!

Easy to make. No fuss and no muss, and delicious as well????   Sign me up!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CAMPFIRE CHEESY POTATOES

There is nothing really complicated about these. Simple ingredients put together most deliciously. amounts given are for single servings. Simply multiply to serve more as needed.

• 1 medium to large baking potato (Russet, Idaho, Maris Piper, King Edward)
• 1 TBS butter
• 1/2 TBS light olive oil
• 3 TBS chopped onion (about 1/8 of a large onion)
• 2 TBS sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 TBS mozzarella cheese, grated
• salt and black pepper to taste
• a pinch of dill weed (optional)

 

One of the most important things here will be the foil. You want a piece of foil roughly 12 inches by 10 inches in size, and you want it to be heavy-duty foil to stand up to the cooking without springing any leaks. If your foil is particularly thin, then use a double layer. That non-stick foil is particularly good.

You want to use a potato that is good for mashing or baking.  Or a floury potato, as they are generally called. Make sure you cut them into uniform pieces. For each packet, you will need a potato roughly the size of your closed fist.

You can add more onions if you wish.  Or leave them out altogether.  I know some people don't like chunks of onion in their food. In that case, I would suggest a sprinkle of onion powder so that the potatoes still get the flavor of the onion without the pieces of onion.

If you are not a fan of dill, feel free to use another herb in its place. Thyme and or rosemary are both particularly good. Just don't overdo it with any herb. A little will go a long way whilst still allowing the flavor of the potato to shine through.

 

HOW TO MAKE CAMPFIRE CHEESY POTATOES

Nothing could be easier.  Trust me on this. No fuss. No muss. Not a lot to clean up.

1. Peel the potato, wash, and then cut into half-inch dice. Grate your cheeses and dice your onion.
2. Open out the sheet of foil. Place the diced potatoes in the center of the foil.
3. Place the butter on top and drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle with the onions, salt, pepper and dillweed if using.
4. Bring the long sides of the foil up over the potatoes and seal tightly. Leave enough room for the potatoes to steam. Seal the ends tightly and place onto a baking sheet.
5. If baking in the oven, preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the potatoes for18 to 20 minutes, or until tender.
6. Carefully open the packet, allowing the steam to escape. (Be careful.) Sprinkle with both cheeses and return to the oven to melt the cheese. If you wish you can turn the broiler on so brown the cheese for several minutes.
7. If cooking on the grill, preheat the grill for a few minutes to medium heat. Place the foil packet directly on the grill, close, and cook for 10 minutes.
8. Carefully open the packet and allow the steam to escape. If the potatoes are tender, sprinkle the cheese on top, then reclose the packets so that the cheese melts. (Should only take a few minutes.)
9. Serve.

 

VARIATIONS ON CAMPFIRE CHEESY POTATOES 

These cheesy potatoes are delicious on their own, but feel free to add extra things as desired.  You can certainly add more vegetables to the mix.  Broccoli or cauliflower, carrots, green beans, sliced zucchini, chopped peppers, etc.

 

 Make sure that you cut all of the vegetables into a similar shape and size to the potatoes so that everything will cook in the roughly the same amount of time.

If you want to turn these tasty potatoes into a delicious main dish, feel free to add cubed cooked ham, cooked ground beef, or chicken, sliced cooked sausage, smoked sausage, or bacon, etc.  

You can turn them into a really tasty side dish by passing the sour cream, bacon bits and chopped spring onions at the table!

Vary the types of cheese used for the packets. Monterrey Jack, or Pepper Jack is an excellent choice and adds a bit of zip.  Any creamy cheese with good melting properties is a great choice.

 

CAN CAMPFIRE CHEESY POTATOES BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes! Absolutely!  You can either cook them through ahead of time, or have them prepped and ready to ahead of time. If you are cooking ahead of time, simply cook, refrigerate and then pop into the oven on on a grill when you are ready to serve.

If you are simply prepping them ahead of time ready to cook on the day, do everything right up to the point of cooking them and again, pop into the refrigerator, ready to take out and place in the oven or on a grill about half an hour to forty minutes before you plan to serve your meal.

 

EXTRA IDEAS FOR FOIL PACK OR CAMPFIRE COOKING

Here are a few more ideas for dishes that you can cook very easily in foil packets. I promise you that they are simple and delicious. I don't do complicated if I can help it! 

FOIL PACK MEDITERRANEAN RED SNAPPER - This simple fish dish is a mix of delicious Mediterranean flavors and textures, with a mix of olives, both black and green, sliced lemon, halved cherry tomatoes, garlic, herbs, some thinly sliced shallots, and a drizzle of olive oil. Colorful, healthy and delicious. Feel free to use any white fish in these easy-to-make packets!

CHEESY CHICKEN, RANCH & BACON FOIL PACKS - Here you have a delicious mix of sweet and white potatoes, along with broccoli, topped with chicken, cheese, and bacon, with the flavors of ranch dressing running throughout. I also tell you how to make your own dry ranch dressing mix if you do not have it available where you live.  A complete meal in one with not much to clean up when it is done. Delicious and simple to make as well.

 

 

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Yield: Variable

Author: Marie Rayner

Campfire Cheesy Potatoes

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

This recipe allows for you to make as many or as few packets of potatoes as you wish. Quantities are given for one packet. Multiply to feed more. These are cheesy and delicious. No fuss. No muss. Nothing to clean up afterwards. You can cook in the oven or on a grill. It's your choice! You will need a 12-inch by 10-inch sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil for each packet.

Ingredients

For each packet:

• 1 medium to large baking potato (Russet, Idaho, Maris Piper, King Edward)
• 1 TBS butter
• 1/2 TBS light olive oil
• 3 TBS chopped onion (about 1/8 of a large onion)
• 2 TBS sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 TBS mozzarella cheese, grated
• salt and black pepper to taste
• a pinch of dill weed (optional)

Instructions

1. Peel the potato, wash, and then cut into half-inch dice. Grate your cheeses and dice your onion.
2. Open out the sheet of foil. Place the diced potatoes in the center of the foil.
3. Place the butter on top and drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle with the onions, salt, pepper and dillweed if using.
4. Bring the long sides of the foil up over the potatoes and seal tightly. Leave enough room for the potatoes to steam. Seal the ends tightly and place onto a baking sheet.
5. If baking in the oven, preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the potatoes for18 to 20 minutes, or until tender.
6. Carefully open the packet, allowing the steam to escape. (Be careful.) Sprinkle with both cheeses and return to the oven to melt the cheese. If you wish you can turn the broiler on so brown the cheese for several minutes.
7. If cooking on the grill, preheat the grill for a few minutes to medium heat. Place the foil packet directly on the grill, close, and cook for 10 minutes.
8. Carefully open the packet and allow the steam to escape. If the potatoes are tender, sprinkle the cheese on top, then reclose the packets so that the cheese melts. (Should only take a few minutes.)
9. Serve.

Notes

Feel free to top the baked potatoes with sour cream, crispy cooked bacon bits and chopped spring onions in order to make loaded potato packets! Delicious!

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