Foil Baked Potatoes in the Coals
Whole russets buried in a campfire bed, oiled and salted so the skins go crisp.
- calories
- 320
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 36
- protein
- 6 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 45 min
- total time
- 50 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
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Medium russet potatoes | 4 | pick them all the same size or they finish at different times |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Coarse salt | 2 tsp | |
| Heavy-duty foil | 4 sheets |
Method
- Scrub the potatoes at home and pack them dry. Dirt in the foil is dirt in your dinner.
- Build the fire early and let it burn down. You want a deep bed of coals, not flames.
- Prick each potato four or five times with a knife tip, rub it with oil, and salt the skin.
- Wrap each one tight in foil, twisting the seam closed.
- Bury them in the coals, rake a few on top, and leave them 35 to 45 minutes. Turn once at the halfway point.
- Pull one out and push a knife through the foil. If it slides to the center with no resistance, they are done.
The original of this is a pressure cooker recipe, which is not a thing you carry. The method that survives the trip is the older one: whole potato, oiled skin, foil, coals. A pressure cooker steams the potato in an inch of water. Coals do it with the potato’s own moisture, which is why the skin dries out and crisps instead of going slack.
The oil and salt on the outside are not seasoning so much as construction. Oil conducts heat into the skin and salt pulls the last water out of it, and together they give you the crust the source got from a broiler. Coal heat is uneven, so turn them once and test with a knife rather than trusting the clock. No toppings here that need a fridge — sour cream and butter are the first things to go bad in a cooler, and a potato out of the fire does fine with oil and salt alone.
Packing
Potatoes travel loose in a mesh bag so they do not sweat. Pre-cut the foil at home and fold the sheets flat; salt goes in a small screw-top tin.
Variations
- Unwrap the last five minutes and set them directly on a hot coal to blister the skin further.
- Split them and press in a spoonful of shelf-stable pesto or a packet of olive tapenade.
- Sweet potatoes work the same way but run about ten minutes faster.
https://domesticsuperhero.com/instant-pot-baked-potatoes-with-crispy-skins