Chili Cheese Fry Bowl
Dehydrated hash browns under a bean-and-corn chili, with cheese melted through it.
- calories
- 780
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 130
- protein
- 28 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 14 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dehydrated hash brown potatoes | 1 cup | the shelf-stable carton kind, not frozen |
|---|---|---|
| Dried kidney beans, precooked and dehydrated | 1/2 cup | or freeze-dried refried beans |
| Freeze-dried corn | 1/4 cup | |
| Tomato powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder | 2 tsp total | |
| Hard cheddar | 1.5 oz | waxed block, keeps a week unrefrigerated |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp |
Method
- Pour 600 ml water into the pot and bring it to a boil.
- Add the beans, corn, tomato powder, spices, and salt. Simmer five minutes, stirring so the tomato powder does not scorch on the bottom.
- Stir in the hash browns. They drink fast, so add them last and keep the spoon moving.
- Cut the heat, cover, and wait five minutes. The potatoes finish on residual heat.
- Grate or slice the cheddar in, pour the oil over, and stir until the cheese is gone.
The original is oven fries buried under chili and broiled cheese, which needs a fridge, a sheet pan, and a broiler. None of that fits in a pack. Dehydrated hash browns rehydrate into something between a fry and a mash, and they take the chili the same way the fries did. Tomato powder replaces the sauce and weighs almost nothing.
Order matters more than technique. The beans and corn need real simmering time to come back; the potatoes need almost none and will glue to the pot if they go in early. Wait until the heat is off before the cheese, or it breaks and you get oil slicks instead of a bound sauce.
Packing
Everything dry except the cheese and oil goes in one bag, potatoes on top so you can pour them in second. Cheese in its own bag, oil in a leakproof bottle.
Variations
- A packet of freeze-dried ground beef makes it a real chili con carne.
- Fritos crushed on top give back some of the fried texture the potatoes lose.
https://savoriurbane.com/chili-cheese-fries-reteta-de-cartofi-prajiti-la-cuptor-cu-chili-con-carne-si-branza-gratinata