The Campout Cookbook's smoky smashed potatoes

The Campout Cookbook’s smoky smashed potatoes

Photo, iStock.

Only good can come of combining four of the most heavenly foods known to (wo)man: potatoes, butter, bacon, and cheese. Dish these up alongside grilled steak, pork chops, or portobellos, and if at all humanly possible, save some for building breakfast burritos the next morning.

Ingredients

1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes
Kosher salt
8 ounces sliced bacon , cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
3 ounces grated smoked cheddar
freshly ground pepper

Instructions

In the Backpack
Large pot for boiling the potatoes
12-inch cast-iron skillet
Foil (optional)
Slotted spoon and spatula

At Home: Prepare the Smoked Paprika–Garlic Butter and refrigerate.

At the Campout: Prepare a campfire and fit it with a grill grate. Set up the camp stove.

Remove the Smoked Paprika–Garlic Butter from the cooler and let it come to room temperature. In a large pot over high heat on the camp stove, boil the potatoes in assertively salted water until fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
While the potatoes are boiling, heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet on the campfire grill grate or over medium-high heat on the camp stove and cook the bacon until crispy. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel–lined plate. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat out of the skillet.
Drain the boiled potatoes and place them in the hot skillet. Use a spatula to gently but firmly smash each one down to about 1 inch thick. Spoon Smoked Paprika–Garlic Butter evenly over the top of the potatoes, then sprinkle with the cheddar and bacon and season with salt and pepper.
Place the skillet on the campfire grill, cover with a lid or foil, and cook until the potatoes are soft, sizzling, and melty, about 15 minutes. (Check the bottoms occasionally to prevent burning.) Season with salt and pepper and serve.