No other food says camping more than baked potatoes. Some of the best memories from my childhood backpacking trips are of pulling hot blackened spuds out of the red glowing coals. They were slightly charred on the outside but deliciously soft and crumbly on the inside. Preparing a perfect baked potato may seem easy (what could be difficult about tossing a few potatoes into the coals?) but it requires some testing before you figure out the correct timing and a few burned or overcooked potatoes along the way. It also takes time because you need a nice big pile of coals, which means you need to burn some wood before you even get to the tossing-potatoes-into-the-coals part. These days, we usually wrap them in foil and put on a grate above the fire.

This recipe is for a fancier kind of baked potatoes and requires some preparation. We usually do all the cutting and filling at home, wrap the potatoes in foil and then the only thing left to do at the campsite is to bake them.

Ingredients:

– Baking potatoes for however many people you are planning to feed

– Filling: butter, onions sliced, garlic chopped, salt, pepper

– Possible topping (optional): yogurt or sour-cream, grated cheese, salsa

Instructions:

– Wash the potatoes

– Make cuts in each potato about 2/3 through and 1/4 of an inch apart (when done it should open up like an accordion, hence the name)

– Fill each opening with a slice of butter, a couple of onion rings and a few garlic pieces, add salt and pepper to taste

– Wrap in foil

– Bake for about 40 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the potatoes, turning them over from time to time. Test readiness with a knife. It should insert easily when the potatoes are done.

– Take them off the firegrate, let cool a little, add the toppings and enjoy!

Finally, experiment with fillings and toppings. So many delicious combinations can be created. Let us know which ones you like the most!