Potatoes baked on the coals of a campfire – is there anything more delicious on a cold night? This super easy meal cooks itself while you set up the campsite.

Something about campfire baked potatoes just spells out comfort… warm, buttery deliciousness that can be served with any combination of toppings, making them the perfect crowd-pleaser. And, bonus, they don’t require any fancy equipment – just a campfire and some al-foil.

Preparation

Prep Time / Cook Time

3 minutes / 40 minutes – 1 hour

Serves 

1-2 potatoes serves one person (usually)

 

Ingredients and Equipment

  • Potatoes/sweet potatoes (as many as your heart desires)
  • Butter
  • Salt and pepper
  • Any other toppings you want (try sour cream, cheese, spicy bean mix, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, garden salad… literally whatever you feel like!)
  • Aluminium foil

 

Method

1. Give your potatoes a good ol’ scrub to clean off any dirt/pesticides they might be carrying. Keep the skin on! It’ll turn into a tasty shell when they’re ready.

2. Build up your campfire. The size of the fire depends on how many potatoes you’re planning on baking, or how warm you want to be.

Let it burn until you have a nice pile of coals ready, or use a shovel to move the coals to one side of the fire so you can continue to enjoy watching the flames dancing around whilst your food is cooking.

3. Wrap those starchy pieces of goodness. Make sure they’re completely covered in al-foil, as this keeps the moisture in so you don’t end up with dehydrated potatoes (and not the nice kind).

4. Chuck ‘em in the coals. Use a shovel (or nice big stick) to cover them as much as possible.

Then all that’s left to do is wait and enjoy the delicious warmth of the fire, pour a glass of wine (or hot choc) and hang out for between 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how hot your fire is.

5. When you’re beginning to get bored, roll them out and give them a look. Be careful, as the foil will be very hot! I recommend letting them cool on the ground for a few minutes before you attempt to unpeel – even then I often use a fork (or, in most cases a stick) so you can avoid burning your fingers.

6. Stab your fork/stick into the middle of the potato to check if it’s soft and scrumptious looking. If it’s still a bit firm, wrap it back up and chuck it in again until it’s ready.

If it gets the tick of approval, it’s ready to eat! Don’t worry if the outside is a bit charred looking, this is pretty inevitable (especially if you’re impatient like me and not very good at checking them regularly). The flesh inside should still be divine.

 

 

7. Serve with whatever you feel like, or whatever’s leftover in your fridge/hiking pack. If you’re going simple, butter, salt and pepper is always a delish combo.

If you’ve got a bit more time and want a slightly more nutritious meal you can add anything – from leftover curry to fried bacon pieces, as well as whatever salads you would like (coleslaw is always a hit).

This time I used leftover bolognese sauce and fresh spinach leaves. 

8. Top with sour cream and grated cheese and you’ll be salivating more than Pavlov’s dogs.

Enjoy!