With grilling and camping season well under way… this recipe for Grilled Cheesy Potato Packets is a perfect side dish for your meal. This recipe is quick and easy… and tasty too!
The recipe is originally from Betty Crocker… but I did make a few changes that, in my humble opinion are important…
TIPS
Let’s start with number of servings…. I followed their recipe and found that it wouldn’t make 6 servings… unless the servings were quite small… which … depending on what else you’re serving might be okay… I think 4 servings would be closer to what I would serve.
I tried to make one big packet following their instructions … and I used the heavy foil and not a store brand either… cutting a piece a foil the size they suggest… it would have been very iffy holding it together… so my solution is to do individual packets… which work extremely well for camping…
Another solution is to use a foil baking pan….I wrapped heavy duty foil around the whole baking pan to reinforce the strength of the foil pan because the potatoes are heavy.
This recipe also works well in the oven…. if your grill surface area is too small to handle both the meat and these packets.. then I would suggest using a regular baking dish and baking it in your oven.
The original recipe uses store bought O’Brien potatoes.. a great time saver.. but… I personally like my mix better… I find the commercial mix not to have enough onions and peppers. Use the commercial blend if you want to save time.
My quantities for onions and peppers is a good starting point.. I would adjust the recipe to your tastes.. use more or less depending on how you like them.
I did use frozen potatoes already diced… if you want to make this from scratch you will need about 4-6 large Russet potatoes…
I like the taste of butter… but oil works just as well… they used 1 tablespoon.. I found it not to be enough ….it was dry… so I use 2 tablespoons.
The original recipe drizzles the oil over the potatoes… I prefer to mix everything in a bowl… if you go camping.. mix it in advance in a bowl… and then make up your packets or foil pan… and tote it completely assembled.
There’s no need to thaw the potatoes first… if they do thaw before you grill them.. just watch the cooking time.. you don’t want them mushy.. just check on them after about 20 minutes.
If you’re baking this in a baking dish in the oven… sprinkle the cheese on after 30 minutes.. and uncover… putting it back in the oven will get it to have a really nice cheesy top.
Use your judgment with the quantity of cheese… if everyone likes it cheesy.. use a bit more than the recipe calls for…. the original recipe used ¾ cup shredded cheese… I used 1 cup…
We like different kinds of cheeses… you can use cheddar, Mexican blend, Colby Jack… which ever you prefer.
If you like zip … use a Pepper Jack cheese or chop a jalapeño pepper into your mix.
This is a great little recipe… hope you like it!
Recipe: Grilled Cheesy Potato Packets
All you need:
4 cups frozen diced potatoes
1/3 cup finely diced red pepper
1/3 cup finely diced green pepper
2/3 cup finely diced onion
2 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
Heavy duty foil and/or foil pan * see Tips
Cooking oil spray
All you need to do:
Heat the gas or charcoal grill. *If making this in an oven …preheat to 375 degrees F.
Lightly spray your foil, foil pan or baking dish.
In a large bowl mix the potatoes, peppers and onions.
Add the melted butter or olive oil and toss to evenly coat the mixture.
Divide the potato mixture evenly among 4-6 large pieces of foil… placing the potatoes in the middle of each piece of foil.
Fold 2 sides over to overlap enough to fold them together to seal the edges. Repeat with the other 2 sides.
If using a foil pan, set the foil pan on a large piece of foil (I totally wrap the foil pan in foil so it gives support underneath). Wrap completely.
Place packets on the hot grill with the lid down. Grill for 30 minutes, turning once. For a foil pan just let it grill for 30 minutes.
Open up the foil and sprinkle the potatoes with the cheese… cover loosely and let stand for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
