I’ve always wanted to make potato skins on the campfire, but I didn’t want the extra task of dealing with the rest of the potato. I finally devised a way to do it with no waste or second recipe. I cut the potato into thick disks, or medallions. They baked up nicely in a dutch oven in a matter of about 15 minutes. A dutch oven would do larger quantities, but I also like the idea of using a pie iron and having my guests cook up their. This would make cooking them into more of an activity, and it would be more difficult to get filled up before dinner. (It’s hard to stop yourself from shoveling too many potatoes into your mouth when you’re hungry- or ever).

I recently tested this recipe out while I was stuck in the latest “storm of the century” on the east coast (we’ve been having a lot of those lately). I was in North Carolina, which got more ice than snow. Though dangerous, the woods looked incredibly beautiful. It was as if every tree branch and blade of grass was encased in glass.

Campfire food is my favorite kind to make in the winter. No one should have to be banished away from the warmth while cooking for the rest of the group.

A while back, Emily, Mai-yan and I went out with our friend Ryan to test some recipes we had made at home and photograph them for future blog posts. I’ve been wanting to post a dutch oven cinnamon roll recipe for quite some time, and I was excited to make them on this trip. I made the dough at home so it was all ready to go at camp, but when we got to camp, we found out that campfires weren’t allowed! Without a campfire, it seemed like my dutch oven cinnamon rolls weren’t happening.

I couldn’t let that dough go to waste though, so we got creative. We had a waffle pie iron and decided to try putting the dough in it and cook it over my camp stove. I had a feeling it would work since I’ve successfully made things in my pie iron on my stove at home (yes, I might be a little pie iron obsessed). It did work, and it was perfect!

A spread of cream cheese frosting is essential for the top of these waffles. We made the frosting at camp with just a whisk, but you can make it at home with an electric mixer so you don’t have to work so hard.

All photos by the talented Ryan Robert Miller. Follow him on Instagram @ryanrobertmiller.

Through this association, I recently discovered some new food and lifestyle magazines such as: Lucky Peach, Wilder, Kinfolk and Gather. My new favorite is Lucky Peach, which has themed issues and comes out on a quarterly basis. What makes it special are the substantive articles about food culture, history, trends and even fiction stories, all done in a fun casual style. On top of great content, one of the editors is Momofuku empire founder chef David Chang (my new celebrity crush). I highly suggest you check out the Anthony Bourdain narrated PBS Series: “Mind of a Chef” featuring David Chang.

Sooo… How does this all relate to Dirty Gourmet and getting outdoors? Well part of our fun is how to translate these sometimes out-of-reach food ideas into recipes that you and I can actually make AND take on our adventures.

This Walnut Pea Pesto Panini is a great example of that. I used part of a salad recipe in the last issue of Gather, added some sliced Swiss cheese and bookended it all with some ciabatta bread. A little twirl in the pie iron and you’ve got a Walnut Pea Pesto Panini.

This pesto is super simple to make, the main ingredient being frozen peas (straight out of the bag!). The peas bring a freshness and delicate sweetness to the pesto, which makes this ideal for a warm summer day lunch or dinner.

One of my favorite versions of a grilled cheese sandwich is sharp cheddar and tart apples on cinnamon raisin bread. It’s a perfect sandwich to make in a pie iron, and would be a great recipe to try on your upcoming fall camping trip. It would be wonderful for lunch, and a great excuse to settle in with a blanket and start the campfire early.