Potatoes and onions are a camping food staple, but I like to add an original twist by using sweet potatoes. They tend to cook a little more quickly than Russets for me, and they are delicious when paired with sweet, tender onions and bold spices. In this recipe, a simple butter mixed with curry and garlic powders melts into the potatoes as they cook. It’s a big step up in flavor from the potatoes, onions and butter you might be used to.
This is a recipe that you can complete at home in your oven and warm up at the campsite, or you can cook the potatoes completely on the fire. You can also use just about any variety of potatoes, but large white potatoes like Russets will likely take about 15 more minutes to cook. Regardless of what potatoes you choose and how you cook them, this is a warm and filling meal that can be enjoyed alone or used as a side dish for grilled steak or pan-fried fish.
Onion Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Curry Butter
Yield: 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
Curry Butter
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
Potatoes
4 large sweet potatoes
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
4 squares of aluminum foil, about 12 x 12 inches
1 large yellow onion, halved and then sliced about ¼ inch thick
Extra sea salt and black pepper for serving
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, if cooking the potatoes at home to warm up later.
2. In a small dish, stir together all ingredients for the butter and set aside.
3. Cut the potatoes lengthwise, leaving ¼ of the bottom of the potato intact. To make cutting and stuffing easier, pierce the potatoes in a few places with a fork and cook them in the microwave for about 2 minutes. You can do this step before leaving home if you plan to prep the potatoes at the campsite.
4. Once slit open, rub the potatoes with ½ teaspoon of olive oil each and then rub each one with ¼ teaspoon of salt.
5. Place each potato on a square of foil. Insert the onion slices into the slit of the potatoes, filling with as much onion as possible.
6. Use a spoon to top each potato with ½ a tablespoon of the curry butter.
7. Rub the top of the potato with the butter and get as much as possible into the slit and around the onions.
8. Wrap each potato tightly with foil.
Cooking method 1:
Bake for 45 minutes, until tender. When cool, pack in a chilled container. Once your campfire has burned for about 20 minutes, lay the wrapped potatoes in the coals and partially cover with coals. Let warm for 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful when opening the foil as hot steam can cause burns. Serve warm, sprinkled with more salt and pepper, if desired.
Cooking method 2:
Store the wrapped, uncooked potatoes in a chilled container. Let the campfire burn for about 20 minutes. Lay the wrapped potatoes in the coals and partially cover with coals. Cook for 45 minutes, until softened. Check a potato after 30 minutes because it is difficult to control the temperature of a campfire. If it’s hot, they may cook more quickly. Be careful when opening the foil as hot steam can cause burns. Serve warm, sprinkled with more salt and pepper, if desired.
Enjoy!
