Foil-Wrapped Potatoes Are The Ideal No-Effort Camping Meal

Part of the fun of camping is leaving your worldly possessions behind for the unfettered tranquility of nature. But to bring the taste of home to the woods, you might end up lugging a makeshift kitchen along with you, complete with a full-sized cooler to keep perishable foods in check. For your next no-effort camping meal, opt for a humble foil-wrapped potato. In addition to being a filling and versatile camping food, they don't require refrigeration. 

Storing your spuds in the fridge can lead to an overproduction of acrylamide, which converts its starches to sugars and results in an unwanted sweet flavor during the cooking process. That means you can save room in a smaller cooler for other things. Foil-wrapped versions also don't require a pot or pan. When you properly roast potatoes with hot coals, a foil jacket will gently steam them, promote even cooking, and keep the tubers warm while you brave the elements. 

One version of coal-roasted potatoes is as old as aluminum foil itself. In the early 20th century, when aluminum foil was invented, roaming kids built fires in vacant lots around New York City and buried spuds in the ashes, giving rise to the aptly named "ash-roasted potatoes." The spartan snack was marked by a thick crust of blackened skin shielding a soft, fluffy interior. 

This is one of the most low-maintenance methods for cooking potatoes in the blazing coals of a campfire. Wrapping the tubers in foil will shorten the cooking time of ye olde foil-less method and will result in less charred (totally edible) skin. Simply poke them all over with a fork, smear them with softened butter, wrap them in foil, and bury them in the coals of a campfire. Remove the potatoes once they're fork-tender, which should take 30 minutes to an hour. Don't forget the extra butter and salt for serving. 

Foil-wrapped spuds can be low-maintenance and glamping-appropriate at the same time. If a simple smattering of butter and salt doesn't spark your appetite, take things up a notch with loaded campfire potatoes. With shredded melty cheese, bits of bacon, diced green onion, and optional (but highly recommended) sour cream, these bad boys don't pull any punches. They're also super adaptable. Not into bacon? Try adding smoked fish instead for an equally delightful depth of flavor. 

If you're up for a bit more effort, take cues from a classic vegetarian barbecue trick by slicing or dicing your favorite variety of roasting tubers and sealing them in a foil packet with butter, salt, and whatever herbs and aromatics you packed in your knapsack. This method makes for a supremely satisfying and flavorful breakfast that blows your emergency granola bars out of the water. If you prefer, you can use whole small potatoes in place of sliced or diced large ones. Happy camping!