Foil Packet Potato Puffs
Instant mash, cheese, and bacon crumbles folded into foil and buried in coals.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 116
- protein
- 18 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- 180 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
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 3/4 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered whole milk | 2 tbsp | replaces the fresh milk in the original |
| Butter or ghee | 1 tbsp | ghee keeps without a cooler |
| Sharp cheddar | 1.5 oz | shred at home, or crumble it in cold |
| Precooked bacon crumbles | 2 tbsp | shelf-stable pouch, not raw bacon |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Heavy-duty foil | 2 sheets |
Method
- Boil 180 ml of water. Stir in the potato flakes, milk powder, and butter until it holds a shape on the spoon. Salt and pepper it now, not later.
- Tear a small square of foil and lay a wet paper towel on it, then fold the foil closed around the towel. This is your heat shield.
- Set the shield in the middle of a large foil sheet. Mound the potatoes on top and press a hollow in the center.
- Fill the hollow with cheese and bacon, then gather the big sheet up over the mound and crimp it shut at the top.
- Set the packet on hot coals, not flames, for 15 to 20 minutes. Rake a few coals against the sides if the fire has burned low.
- Open it away from your face. The steam is real.
The original called for real potatoes, fresh milk, and a pan of bacon. All three are cooler problems. Instant flakes and powdered milk get you the same mash with no perishables, and shelf-stable bacon crumbles carry the smoke and salt without a skillet.
The damp paper towel inside its own foil pocket is the part worth keeping. Coals put heat into the bottom of a packet far faster than the top, and mash scorches quickly. The wet towel holds around boiling until it dries out, which buys you the twenty minutes you need to melt the cheese through.
Packing
Potato flakes, milk powder, and bacon crumbles ride premixed in one bag. Cheese and ghee go in their own containers. Pack the foil flat against the inside of your bin so it does not tear.
Variations
- Swap the bacon for a foil pouch of chicken and a spoonful of hot sauce.
- Skip the shield and cook it in a covered pot on a stove instead if you have no coals.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/potato-puffs