Foil Packet Camp Potatoes
Sliced potatoes, onion, and carrot steamed in foil over coals, finished with cheddar.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 10 oz
- cal / oz
- 33
- protein
- 10 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- 10 ml cold
- 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
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Potato | 1 medium | sliced thin, about 1/4 inch |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1/8 cup sliced | |
| Carrot | 1/4 cup sliced | thin coins cook at the same rate as the potato |
| Water | 2 tsp | |
| Shredded cheddar | 1/4 cup | rides in the cooler |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Garlic powder | 1/4 tsp | optional |
Method
- Tear two sheets of foil about eighteen inches long and stack them. Doubled foil is what keeps the bottom from burning through on coals.
- Pile the potato, onion, and carrot in the center. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Sprinkle the water over the vegetables and fold the foil into a sealed packet, seams crimped tight so steam stays in.
- Set the packet on a grate over coals, not flame. Cook 15 to 20 minutes per side.
- Open it and stab a potato slice. If it resists, reseal and give it another ten minutes.
- When the potatoes are soft, scatter the cheddar over the top, close the packet, and leave it two minutes off direct heat to melt.
Foil packets work because two teaspoons of water is enough to steam a sliced potato. The sealed foil traps that steam and cooks the vegetables through before the outside chars. Cut everything thin and about the same thickness; a thick carrot coin is the piece that leaves you resealing the packet for a third round.
Coals, not flames. Flames scorch the foil at one spot and leave the rest raw, which is why the packet gets flipped halfway. The cheese goes on at the end and off the heat — it only needs residual warmth, and cheddar left over coals separates into grease.
Packing
Slice the vegetables at home and pack them in a zip bag with the seasoning already on them. Cheese stays in the cooler until the packet is nearly done.
Variations
- Add a sliced precooked sausage to the packet at the start for a full meal.
- A pat of butter or a spoon of oil in the packet browns the edges instead of just steaming them.
- No cooler? Skip the cheese and use freeze-dried potato and carrot with a little more water.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/camp-potatoes