Campground Potatoes

Memorial Day weekend requires a camping trip.  There are no other options.  It marks the start of summer, particularly up here in the land of the Midnight Sun.  This year, we headed to my favorite place in the universe--Homer.  It is a small little fishing village with incredible fresh from the bay seafood, very cute shops, and miles and miles of beach.  I got to wear my Xtratufs with my dress and fit right in!  Some of my favorite memories of all time include trips to Homer (except the time I got seasick on a halibut charter and vomited for hours and hours and wished that the sea would sweep me away). 

We saw countless eagles, a baby moose who was just days old exploring his four legs, hiked down to the Russian village at the end of the road, visited the Land's End resort, ate some smoked halibut with jalapeno dip while sitting on a piece of driftwood next to the water (I have smoked halibut thawing currently to re-imagine their recipe), made our obligatory stop at the Salty Dawg to have a salty dawg, and looked forward each night to driving back the the cabin 20 minutes out of town and up on the hillside to sit on the roof and grill dinner and play games.

Our rooftop BBQ view

We brought some frozen turkey burgers leftover from our last gartyque and also created some Campground Potatoes.  For a cabin with no electricity, heat, or even a bathroom (let alone an outhouse...there is just an "out"...but it is the most beautiful "restroom" in the universe) we had one heck of a gourmet meal.  The potatoes were very thinly sliced almost all the way through, then seasoned with spices, and topped with a little butter before being rolled in tinfoil.  We did all of the prep at home so all we needed to do when we got to Homer was through them on the barby.  They were really hot, which was much welcomed on the rather cool rooftop.  They were also seasoned perfectly and had a perfectly crispy outside from the grill.  These potatoes will come with us on every camping adventure in the future.  I am looking forward to experimenting with all kinds of spices and rubs.  So good.  We had a perfect weekend.

Notice the two butter knives under the potato to prevent slicing all the way through.

Yes, that is a guard dog on the roof.  :)

Campground Potatoes: 

• russet potatoes (enough for your party)
• salt and pepper to taste
• a little bit of butter for each potato

Spice options:

• Italian seasoning (on it's own)
• chili powder, a dash of cayenne, cumin, and paprika
• truffle salt, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper
• red pepper flakes, garlic powder, a dash of basil and oregano 

1. Place your potato between two butter knives.  Slice very thinly down to the knives, but not all the way through the potato. 
2. Flower the potato just barely being careful not to break it.
3. Sprinkle with your desired seasonings.
4. Cover the top with just a little bit of butter.
5. Roll in tinfoil and store in your cooler until ready to use.
6. Throw on the grill and turn regularly.  Check for tenderness.  Remove from grill and eat when fully cooked.  (The time for this will certainly vary based on your grill or fire source.)
7. ENJOY!

The view of the Homer Spit.  Not my photo--click on my image to go to the source.