camp meals

Foil Packet Potatoes and Sausage

Assembly line dinner. Everyone builds their own, the fire does the rest.

calories
560
weight
10 oz
cal / oz
56
protein
22 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
  • Campfire coals
  • Grill grate
  • Car camping
  • Basecamp
  • Canoe / raft
  • Gluten free
  • Dairy free
  • Nut free
  • Foil packet
  • Grab and go
  • Needs a cooler
  • Basic

Ingredients

Baby potatoes 1.5 lb halved
Smoked sausage 1 lb sliced into coins
Bell pepper and onion 2 total thick slices
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika 2 tbsp total
Heavy duty foil 4 large sheets

Method

  1. Double layer each sheet of foil. Single layer tears on the coals every time.
  2. Divide potatoes, sausage, pepper, and onion across the four sheets.
  3. Oil and season each pile, then fold the foil into a sealed packet with room for steam.
  4. Set the packets on coals or a grate for 25 minutes, flipping once at the halfway mark.
  5. Open one carefully to check the potatoes. Steam burns are the main hazard here.

The foil packet solves the group cooking problem: nobody has to agree on anything. Vegetarians build a packet without sausage, the picky eater leaves out peppers, and it all cooks in the same fire at the same time.

Cut the potatoes smaller than feels necessary. Undercooked potato is the only way this fails.

Packing

Build the packets at home and stack them in the cooler. Camp becomes an unloading job rather than a prep job.

Variations

  • Swap sausage for a can of drained chickpeas and a lemon wedge.
  • A splash of beer in each packet before sealing steams the potatoes faster.