Poor Man's Skillet
Ground beef, hash browns, and corn in one pan. Cheap by design, and it stays cheap on the trail.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 124
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- 400 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
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried ground beef | 3 oz | or a foil pouch of cooked seasoned beef |
|---|---|---|
| Dehydrated hash brown potatoes | 1 1/2 cups | the shelf-stable carton kind, not frozen |
| Freeze-dried corn | 1 cup | |
| Dried minced onion | 2 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Onion powder | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
| Hard cheese or shelf-stable cheese powder | 1/2 cup | optional; aged cheddar keeps a few days out |
Method
- Put the hash browns, corn, beef, and minced onion in the pot. Add 400 ml of boiling water, stir, and put the lid on. Ten minutes off heat.
- Check it. The potatoes should be soft and the water mostly gone. If it is still crunchy, add a splash more hot water and wait five.
- Set the pot back over low flame with the olive oil and stir until the bottom starts to brown. Keep it moving or it welds on.
- Add the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook another two or three minutes.
- Kill the heat, grate or crumble in the cheese, stir until it melts.
The original is a skillet of leftovers: ground beef, diced potatoes, corn, whatever cheese was in the door of the fridge. None of that travels, so all four became their dried counterparts. The rehydrate-then-fry order matters. Soak everything first, then put it back on heat with oil, or you get a pot of wet starch instead of something with browned edges.
The oil is not optional. Freeze-dried beef carries almost no fat, and without it the potatoes stay pale and the whole thing tastes like water and salt. Cheese is listed as optional because it is the first thing to go bad and the first thing worth dropping if you are counting ounces.
Packing
Everything dry except the oil and cheese goes in one bag, spices included. On a campfire, use a pan with a real bottom; a titanium mug will scorch this.
Variations
- Skip the beef and double the corn for a lighter, cheaper version.
- A packet of hot sauce or a shake of smoked paprika does more for it than the cheese does.
https://mealswithmaria.site/poor-mans-meal