Campfire Baked Potato

Posh Cuisine: Outdoor Style!

Mid-70s during the day, in the '40s at night - now that's good camping weather! Yes, I was a little chilly at times... (it can be in the '80s and I'll be cold.) However, with a roaring campfire, and these campfire baked potatoes (and a bag of marshmallows, of course), my Daddy-Daughter camping trip this past weekend was wonderful! Not only did I learn some valuable camping skills, manage to keep my feet dry as I crossed flowing rivers and brooks, and catch up on some valuable bonding time with my favorite Daddy - I was also able to bring the posh outdoors! And with some planning ahead, you too can put the posh in campfire cooking!

Now, when it comes to outdoor cooking, my Daddy is a pro. If you can make it indoors, he can make it outdoors. (Needless to say, I ate very well during this camping trip.) And we were really roughing it, too. I made pancakes with no spatula for Saturday's breakfast and ate my dinner that night right out of the pan! (Tough times, I'll tell ya.)

Now, let me tell you about these potatoes! We used Yukon Gold potatoes (they have an awesome buttery taste and make delicious mashed potatoes). We also planned and prepared our meals in advance (a great suggestion for you future campers) and stored everything in a cooler. And, by making this dish in the foil so it was all ready to go, dinner was one less thing to worry about as we hiked, gathered wood, and enjoyed the fresh mountain air.

Now, where's the posh? Adding posh is no challenge when planning ahead. Below you'll see how we set up this potato dish and ways to incorporate your own special posh before heading into the wilderness.

This is where the dish can become whatever you want! We kept it simple by adding a dash of Tuscan seasoning mix, and wrapped it up. *Note: Wrap it in foil twice! The outer foil can get charred and blackened during the baking process, while the potato and first layer of foil stay clean and wonderful!

Once it's all 'poshed' up to your liking and you're ready to eat, it's time to make the fire! That means gathering firewood... When you think you have enough wood - go get more. THEN it should be enough. Next, (carefully) make the fire and once it's going strong, just tuck the foiled potatoes onto the side of the flame. You don't want them directly in the fire (unless you want burned-to-a-crisp baked potato). The potatoes should be perfectly cooked after about 40 minutes (we left ours in a little longer and they were so soft and delicious). Now, what if you didn't pack any tongs/pickups!? How will you ever get them out of the fire!? This is where handmade tongs made out of a tree branch become very useful (bottom center picture). Now that's posh!

See? With some simple planning ahead and preparation, you too can bring the posh outdoors! And may I say, it is delicious and such a comfort at the end of a busy, camping-packed day! What would you add to your campfire baked potato dish?? How would you 'posh' it up???

With love (for food),

Ellen

--A dash of posh can make all the difference in your next dish!--