With the new threat of snow this is probably the only campfire that I'll be sitting near in the next few weeks. I am hopeful that the weather will improve later in the year though and I'm considering taking the children on a camping holiday this year - on condition of the weather improving though!
The last time I went camping was when I was doing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award many, many years ago. At the time we ate mainly packets of pasta and sauce that you just have to add water to with Angel Delight as pudding, but then we were just 17 year old students at the time. With a full family to feed I would now need to find something more nutritious to cook, but something that is also easy to do, hence the creation of this recipe for campfire jackets with cowboy bean hash.
Ingredients:
- One jacket potato per person
- Minced beef
- Onion
- Can of baked beans
- White wine vinegar
- Black treacle
Method
To provide some entertainment and fun for the children you're camping with you can cook your jacket potatoes in a campfire. Simply prick it all over with a fork then cut each potato in half lengthways, pop some butter inside, close it up and wrap it in kitchen foil. If you then put the potatoes around the edge of the campfire they should be cooked in about half an hour.
Whilst the potatoes are cooking you can make the hash in just one pan. Chop up an onion and fry that for a few minutes. Then add the mince and fry until evenly browned. Once you're at this stage add the can of baked beans and three or four tablespoons each of treacle and white wine vinegar. Mix everything together and cook through on a low heat (if you have much control on your camping stove!)
You can adjust the amount of treacle of vinegar to suit your own tastes, but the overall result is sweet tasting with a lovely edge and works perfectly with a jacket potato. This is a perfect sort of meal to eat whilst sitting around the campfire - nice and warming to eat and also the beans mean you're all getting plenty of energy for whatever outdoor activities you have planned the next day.
Disclaimer: This is a featured post written in association with Thomson Al Fresco.
