PO-TA-TOES

What we need is a few good taters…

Song virus achieved?

Anyway, goodness knows I love me some taters. Especially on campouts. And I have to say that the newest addition to Scouting Magazine over the last few issues has been the article on Dutch Oven cooking and it is great! I previously posted about the Kalamata Roast recipe that we made back at John Colter in November 2010. This post is about the Udder Potatoes recipe found in the most recent issue.

For Christmas my Jen-nay (we’s like peas and carrots) got me a Lodge 12″ Cast Iron Camping Dutch Oven. What’s the difference between a camping dutch oven and a regular dutch oven? Nothing outrageous. But the camping dutch ovens have the three peg-legs on the bottom and the lid has the lip on top – both made to more effectively deal with charcoal. And they’re great! Even with all the technological advances in cookware over the last couple of centuries, cast iron still remains as the king of the hill, and for good reason. It works!

I *heart* my dutch oven, it is great! I’ve already used it a few times since Christmas and it is also the nifty BSA logo branded one. You can buy your own at your local Scout Shop (here is a link to the Scoutstuff.org page on it), or via Lodge’s website here. I’d suggest going through your local Scout Shop to save on shipping (it is heavy) and because the price is about $70 compared to nearly $100 at other places. The pricetag seems steep but it is worth every penny.

So anyway, back to the taters…

I saw the recipe in the most recent issue of Scouting and decided that it would be a great dish to try for the Pack Winter Campout in January. I had all the Webelos with me in a primitive cabin area of Camp Birch while the rest of the pack was in the comfort of the brand new Turner Building. Here’s the recipe:

The Udder Potatoes

Ingredients

½ pound of bacon, chopped
2 30-ounce packages frozen shredded hash browns
4 large green onions, chopped
½ teaspoon Morton Nature’s Seasons Seasoning Blend
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3½ cups heavy whipping cream
11 tablespoons butter, cut into slices
Set out package of frozen hash browns for about half an hour before baking. Allow them to thaw slightly. Fry bacon in Dutch oven until crisp. Pour off grease. Add hash browns, green onions, and seasonings. Mix gently until evenly distributed.

Pour cream over potato mixture and place butter slices on top. Bake in a 12-inch Dutch oven at 350 degrees (16 coals on top, 10 coals below) for 45 minutes. Remove pot from bottom heat. Put bottom coals on top of lid and tilt the lid slightly open for 15-20 minutes until browned on top.

I guarantee once your Scouts get a taste of this dish, if you ever ask them if they want scalloped or cheese potatoes again, they will all cry out, “No! We want the udder ones!”

Serves: 15-18

So we didn’t exactly follow the recipe, but they turned out amazing. First off, who uses half a pound of bacon when you’re camping? You can buy bacon at the grocery normally in 12 oz or 16 oz packages. So we used a 12 oz package, but we used the whole package. Extra bacon is good for the soul. Likewise with the heavy cream. I don’t know where you can buy 3-1/2 cups of cream. I see it in pints and quarts. So we bought a quart and used the whole quart – no point in saving half a cup of heavy cream when you’re on a campout.

Due to the extreme cold at the time, we used extra coals and due to the extra liquid I cooked it a little longer than originally stated. Came out AWESOME! I’ve remade it two times since then with great results too.

My personal preference it to lighten up on the green onion because that flavor can easily overpower, and more bacon because, well, it’s bacon! Jen-nay thinks cheese would make it even better, I think it is fine without the cheese. But I’m thinking about getting some of the cheese flavored french fried onion pieces and for the last five minutes of cooking sprinkle those across the top for crunch.

So now I’ve got dutch oven posts on a main dish, side dish and dessert. Wonder what will be next? We’ll have to wait and see…