Cheesy Stovetop Potatoes & Herby Frittata- Camping Recipes

You know when you feel like nachos but you don’t have any so get creating something else to satisfy all of this flavour needs. You don’t? Well I do.

And I did.

In fact my kitchen has been ever so busy this weekend. Two camping recipes, a batch of cookies and some more dishes coming up very soon.

When Simply Hike asked me to create some recipes for al fresco or campsite eating I knew these would be perfect as they are filling and full of flavour yet really simple. I don’t know about you but I seem to get so hungry on camping trips, I blame the fresh air or all the walking we seem to do. For me camping food is all about the prep and at the end of this post I’ve included a short list of food you could take on a camping trip to make mealtimes easier.

This cheesy stovetop potato dish is ideal for camping as you can prepare everything in advance, pack it in a cool box and just chuck it all in one pan over a campfire or camping stove. It is also just perfect for lazy lunches and indulgent suppers at home. You can even save on washing up by eating straight from the pan….truly lazy dining. This will make just about enough for two but you don’t need to pay much attention to serving sizes or ingredient weights, just go with what you think looks right. I you want more cheese add more cheese. And if you want more bacon, then I love you.

Cheesy Stovetop Potatoes

You will need:

15 (ish) cooked, cooled new potatoes

3 rashers of smoked bacon, diced

150ml tomato passata

3 tbsp sriracha sauce ( you can omit this if you don’t like the heat )

150g mature cheddar, grated

25g butter

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

seasoning

Put your pan over a high heat or camp fire if that is the way you will be cooking. Add your butter and oil and leave to get sizzling hot. Add your potatoes and cook for a few minutes before adding your bacon, saute until your potatoes and bacon are bronzed and starting to get crispy. Drain some of the oil away. Add your passata and sriracha ( combined) to the centre of your pan over your potatoes, season and leave to heat through. Now add your grated cheese and lightly cover with foil until it is all bubbling and gooey.

Enjoy! Eat from the pan for minimal washing up.

Another dish I always make when camping is Frittata, it is so easy and filling. I like to let it cool down completely and cut into slices to take out and about during the day for picnics. I tend to make this in foil when I camp ( sometimes even when I do it at home ) as it means less scrubbing off the pan as Frittata can leave a pan in quite a mess plus it is ready to transport then straight from the pan. Depending on how good your stove is, it may take a while to set on top but it will happen and requires no extra work once it is in the pan other than keeping an eye every few minutes to check if it is done.

Frittata in Foil

You will need:

5 eggs ( free range and large is what I used )

50ml whole milk

3 sticks of Asparagus roughly chopped

5-6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

100g ham, diced

1 tbsp of dried herbs

seasoning (salt and black pepper)

25g butter

100g mature cheddar, grated

Foil

Beat your eggs and milk together. Line you pan with foil and place over a medium to high heat. Add your butter. Mix your vegetables,seasoning, herbs and ham with your egg/milk mixture and pour into pan. Leave until almost completely set on top and add your cheese. Cover loosely with foil for a few minutes before removing from heat and leaving to cool.

You will find it is beautifully crisp and brown around the edges and base, yet soft and fluffy inside. It is a delight to eat, hot or cold.

Camping Cooking Tips

Always cook away from and most definitely outside of your tent.

Take a frying pan, a small saucepan, 1 sharp knife and cutlery/plates/mugs. You won’t need any more than this really.

And a stove of course.

A tray is ideal for food prep such as buttering bread if you don’t have the car space for a table.

Take a picnic blanket with a waterproof base to sit on, the grass gets pretty damp overnight.

Advance Food Prep

This can really improve on the quality of your meals and the use of your time on camping trips. I take the following whenever I camp:

I make and then freeze a bolognese or curry the day before we go and then I know that on the second day we have a really good home cooked meal. You could serve this with pasta or rice or for less hassle just serve with crusty bread.

Freeze butter, water bottles, bread and milk to maximise freshness and keep your cool bag really cool.

Grate your cheese before you go, always dice bacon,chicken or ham if using in recipes. Also prep your veggies and take small bags of seasoning, you don’t need a giant pepper mill.

Take nachos/tortilla chips to pop in a pan with grated cheese for those nights when you get the munchies, popcorn also works well for this and kids will find it lots of fun.

And of course you need giant marshmallows, chocolate and digestive biscuits for S’mores.

• This is a collaborative post with Simply Hike and I have been compensated for my time in creating these recipes and writing this post.