The Outdoor Chef – Part 2 – The Best Camping Recipes…EVER!.

People seemed to love our last instalment of the Outdoor Chef so much that we couldn’t resist posting a ‘part 2’. Whether you’re RVing around Canada this summer, staying local, or just enjoying a cookout in your back yard. We have some more great outdoor recipes with which to tantalize your taste buds.

BREAKFAST – Campfire Breakfast Potatoes

This tasty breakfast side tastes amazing with bacon and scrambled eggs.

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 lbs (about 6) Russet potatoes, cubed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• Lots of pepper, to taste

PREPARATIONS:

1. Coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons, and place the pan over the coals of your campfire, on a grate.
2. Add the onion and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, peppers, and another 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir to coat. Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes, until potatoes start to brown.
3. Add a few tablespoons of water, and cover with foil to steam for about 5 minutes.
4. Add seasonings, continue to stir occasionally until fully browned, crispy, and tender in the middle. Serve alongside your favorite other breakfast items.

LUNCH – Beer Cheese Fondue

Who says you can’t be classy while camping? How about some cheese fondue (plus beer) while you’re out exploring the great outdoors?

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 pound gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1 cup beer
• 1 clove garlic
• dippers, such as chunks of bread, broccoli, cauliflower, sausage (such as kielbasa), small potatoes

PREPARATIONS:

1. Prep your dippers. You can blanch or steam broccolli, cauliflower and potatoes, or cook them in foil pouches on the campfire. Cut sausages into chunks and brown them in your cast iron skillet. Set all your dippers aside in serving bowls.
2. In a medium bowl, toss shredded cheeses with cornstarch. Set aside.
3. Cut garlic clove in half and rub your cast iron skillet with the cut side of both pieces of garlic.
4. Combine beer and mustard in the skillet and bring to a boil. Add handfuls of the cheese mixture, stirring to combine. When cheese is melted and the fondue comes together, remove from heat. Eat right away with dippers.

DINNER – Skillet Lasagna

Just because you don’t have an oven, doesn’t mean you have to live without lasagna!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
• 1/2 pound ground beef (optional)
• 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/3 pound mozzarella, sliced
• 6 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles, or 6 regular noodles, cooked
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

PREPARATIONS:

1. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and saute for 5 mins. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
2. Add the garlic and onions and cook until onions are translucent, stirring frequently. Add the crushed red chili flakes and cook for a few seconds. Add ground beef, if using, and cook for about 5 minutes or until meat is browned and cooked through. Add crushed tomatoes and set can aside. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pour about 2/3 of the sauce back into the can, and leave 1/3 in the bottom of the pan.
4. Start by layering noodles over the sauce and then layer ricotta, mushrooms, spinach, mozzarella and drizzle with olive oil. Repeat layering starting with more sauce until all ingredients are used, ending with mozzarella. Top with the Parmesan cheese.
5. Cover and simmer until the lasagna noodles are cooked and the cheese melts. Remove from the heat and let the lasagna cool for a few minutes before serving.

DESSERT – Bacon Wrapped S’mores

How do you make s’mores better? The same way you make anything better. You add bacon!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 graham cracker halves
• 1 marshmallow
• 1 piece bacon
• 2-3 squares chocolate

PREPARATION:

1. Skewer a piece of bacon by weaving the skewer through it a few times.
2. Roast the bacon over the fire until cooked but still malleable. Set the bacon on the chunk of chocolate on a graham cracker half.
3. Skewer the marshmallow and roast until melted and bubbly. Do this slowly and far from the flames if you want golden brown.
4. Place the marshmallow on the bacon, wrap the bacon around the marshmallow, and cover with remaining graham cracker half.
5. EAT

Find these and more great outdoor cooking recipes at http://dirtygourmet.com/