Dill Potato Wedges
Boil, cut, fry in garlic butter. A camp side that eats like a meal.
- calories
- 320
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 46
- protein
- 4 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- 2000 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
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Small red potatoes | 8 | waxy, so they hold their edges after boiling |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 stick | ghee if it will be warm for more than a day |
| Garlic | 2 cloves, minced | whole heads keep for weeks unrefrigerated |
| Dried dill weed | 2 tsp | |
| Celery salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/2 tsp |
Method
- Scrub the potatoes. Put them in the dutch oven and add water until they are just covered, roughly 2 liters.
- Bring it to a boil over the fire or a liquid-fuel burner and hold it there 15 minutes. A knife should slide in with a little resistance left.
- Drain the water off. Careful, the pot is heavy and the coals are close.
- Cut each potato into eighths on a plate or a flat rock with a board on it. They will be hot; use a bandana.
- Put the pot back on heat, melt the butter, and cook the garlic in it about 2 minutes. Do not let it brown.
- Add the wedges and all the seasoning. Fry 10 minutes, turning them every couple of minutes so the cut faces get color.
This is two techniques in one pot. The boil cooks the potatoes through, which frying alone will not do without burning the outside first. The frying afterward is only for browning, so it goes fast and the seasoning has fat to stick to.
Red potatoes matter here. Waxy varieties stay intact when you cut them hot; a russet falls apart and you end up with skillet hash. Dried dill is the right call anyway since it holds up better in butter than fresh does, so nothing was lost adapting this for camp. Only the butter needs thought in the heat, and ghee solves that.
Packing
Mix the dill, celery salt, salt, and pepper into one small jar at home. Garlic and potatoes go in a mesh or paper bag, never plastic. Butter travels in a screw-top tub.
Variations
- Swap the butter for olive oil to make it vegan and heat-proof.
- Add a handful of dried onion flakes with the seasoning.
- Cook the wedges in a foil packet on a grill grate if you are not carrying a dutch oven.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/dill_potato_wedges-2228.asp