Mushroom and Potato Skillet, Trail Version
Dried mushrooms and potato flakes rebuilt into a garlicky one-pot dinner.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 4 oz
- cal / oz
- 155
- protein
- 11 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 12 min
- water
- 450 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
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried sliced mushrooms | 1/2 cup | cremini or porcini, crushed small so they rehydrate fast |
|---|---|---|
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 3/4 cup | stands in for the sliced potatoes |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Butter powder or ghee | 1 tbsp | ghee keeps for weeks without a cooler |
| Garlic granules | 1 tsp | |
| Dried parsley | 1 tbsp | |
| Kosher salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/4 tsp |
Method
- Put the dried mushrooms in the pot with 450 ml of water. Bring it to a boil, then cut the heat and let it sit five minutes with the lid on.
- Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, and half the parsley. Taste the broth. It should be salty enough to season the potato that goes in next.
- Add the potato flakes in two or three additions, stirring between, until it thickens to a soft mash.
- Pour in the oil and the ghee or butter powder and stir until it disappears.
- Top with the rest of the parsley and let it stand a minute off the stove. It firms up as it cools.
The original is an oven casserole: blanched potato slices layered over sautéed mushrooms and baked until the top browns. None of that survives a pack. What survives is the flavor logic, which is mushroom, garlic, butter, parsley, and salt on top of starch, and that transfers cleanly to a pot.
Rehydrating the mushrooms first is the whole method. Their soaking liquid becomes the broth the potato flakes drink, so the mushroom flavor ends up through the mash instead of sitting on it. Season the water before the flakes go in; once it thickens, salt stops distributing and just sits in pockets. Fat is added last so it does not get boiled off, and it is what turns a starchy mash into a dinner.
Packing
Mushrooms, potato flakes, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper premix into one bag at home. Ghee rides in its own screw-top jar; butter powder can go in the dry bag.
Variations
- A spoonful of powdered milk or a crumbled ounce of hard cheese makes it richer and adds protein.
- Dried onion flakes soaked with the mushrooms give it a deeper base.
- Car camping: use real sliced mushrooms and a foil packet on the grill grate instead.
https://ohmyveggies.com/herbed-mushroom-potato-bake