Camp Oven Potato

This is another potato dish from outback Australia, given to me by Tony Smyth and I’m passing it on to you just as he wrote it. Tony used to be guide and cook on a coach touring the Outback in the days when they carried everything with them and collected their firewood on route.

Tony’s Camp Oven Spuds

1. Peel one big potato for each person or if potatoes are smooth skinned leave them unpeeled. (Do not par-boil – you need the moisture of the spud only).
2. With an apple corer, take out a section at the top of the potato (do not discard).
3. Half to three-quarter fill this hole with chopped ham/bacon, chopped garlic, shredded cheese and a little pepper.
4. Place the potatoes on aluminium foil and coat with olive oil using a pastry brush.
5. Replace shortened cores to plug the potato (tooth picks help)
6. Wrap potatoes up in foil with screwed up top of foil at top of potato (so you know when hot, where the tooth picks are).
7. Place in camp oven on a cake grate with more cooking oil on bottom.
8. Cook in subdued fire (hot ashes) for 30-40 minutes (or until spuds are soft)
Lovely

Chef’s note: You can, of course, cook these in a conventional oven by placing the foil-covered potatoes directly on the rungs, or on the wire rack of a roasting tray.

Tony wrote this recipe on the back of a poster, which read:

LOST DOG: 3 LEGS, BLIND IN LEFT EYE, MISSING RIGHT EAR, TAIL BROKEN, RECENTLY D-SEXED…..ANSWERS TO NAME OF “LUCKY”