Chili Skillet Potatoes
Sliced potatoes fried hard in oil with chili and paprika. A side that eats like a meal.
- calories
- 250
- weight
- 7.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 33
- protein
- 4 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Waxy potatoes | 800 g | firm boiling types hold their shape; russets fall apart |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 3 tbsp | |
| Chili powder | 1/4 tsp | |
| Paprika | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Coarse ground black pepper | 2 tsp |
Method
- Scrub the potatoes and cut them into slices about 1.5 to 2 cm thick. Peel them or don't. Blot the cut faces dry with a bandana or paper towel.
- Stir the oil and the spice premix together in a mug or the bag the spices came in.
- Set a skillet on the grate over a bed of coals, or on a stove at medium. Pour in the oil mixture and let it heat until a potato edge sizzles on contact.
- Lay the slices flat in one layer. Five or six minutes a side, until both faces are brown. Work in batches if the pan is crowded; stacked slices steam instead of frying.
- Test with a knife tip. It should slide through with no resistance. If the outside is browning faster than the middle cooks, move the pan off direct heat and cover it.
- Tip them onto a plate or a paper towel to shed oil, then salt again if they need it.
Potatoes are heavy and they don’t dehydrate well at home, so this one stays in car-camping territory. That is fine. The tradeoff you get is a real fried potato, which no rehydrated flake will ever be.
The two things that decide how this comes out are dryness and crowding. Wet slices drop the pan temperature and steam themselves grey, and a pan packed edge to edge does the same. Dry the cut faces, cook in batches, and leave them alone for the full five minutes per side. Two teaspoons of coarse pepper reads high on paper but it is the backbone of the seasoning here, not a garnish.
Packing
Combine the chili, paprika, salt, and pepper in one small bag at home so camp is two things: oil and spice. Potatoes ride loose in the food bin; they bruise in a stuff sack.
Variations
- Wrap the seasoned slices in a foil packet and set it on the grate for 15 to 20 minutes instead of frying. Less crust, no pan to scrub.
- A crushed bouillon cube in the spice mix pushes this toward a main course.
https://www.matprat.no/oppskrifter/gjester/chilipoteter