Potatoes Au Gratin
Freeze-dried potato dices, two forms of cheese, bacon, and fried onions in a bag.
- calories
- 980
- weight
- 5.8 oz
- cal / oz
- 169
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 1 min
- total time
- 6 min
- water
- 240 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
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Canoe / raft
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried potato dices | 1 1/2 cups | dices rehydrate into something you can chew; flakes turn to mash |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese powder | 3-4 tbsp | the packet out of a boxed mac and cheese works |
| Whole milk powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Freeze-dried shredded cheddar | 1/2 cup | |
| Dried minced garlic | 1/2 to 1 tsp | |
| Ground black pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried green onion or jarred chives | 2 tbsp | |
| French fried onions | 1/3 cup | |
| Shelf-stable bacon | 4 slices, chopped | bacon bits work, about 1/4 cup |
| Dried green chiles | 1/4 cup | optional |
Method
- Boil 240 ml of water.
- Pour it into the bag of potato mix and stir until no dry powder is left in the corners.
- Roll the top down and wait 5 to 10 minutes. The potatoes are done when they bite like potatoes, not gravel.
- Stir in the bacon and fried onions and eat straight from the bag.
Two kinds of cheese are doing different jobs. The powder dissolves into the water and becomes the sauce; the freeze-dried shreds stay in pieces so there is something to chew. Milk powder rounds off the sharp edge that cheese powder alone has, and it adds fat that the potatoes soak up.
Use potato dices, not flakes. Flakes will work and make a passable cheesy mash, but dices hold their shape and give the bag some structure. Keep the bacon and fried onions out until the end. Anything crunchy that sits in hot water for ten minutes stops being crunchy.
Packing
Potatoes, both cheeses, milk powder, garlic, pepper, and chives go in one freezer bag at home. Bacon and fried onions ride in a separate snack bag so the onions stay crisp and the bacon grease stays off the powder.
Variations
- Dried green chiles turn it into something closer to a chile relleno casserole.
- Skip the bacon and it is vegetarian, though you lose about a third of the protein.
https://thehikingtreeblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/12/gourmet-trail-recipes-potatoes-au-gratin