Cheesy Dutch Oven Potatoes
On July 08, 2020 (Updated May 11, 2024)
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When camping or in need of a comforting stack of potatoes, look no further than these Cheesy Dutch Oven Potatoes. Tasty bacon, tender potatoes, sweet bell peppers and onions, plus loads and loads of sour cream and cheese make this the stick-to-your-ribs camping meal you’ll scarf down after a day in the great outdoors.
Dutch Oven Potatoes
These cheesy potatoes are a Bulloch family camping staple, adapted and handed down through the generations. Not to be biased or knock our ancestors, but I think my generation is the one that truly mastered the art and perfected the recipe. This is actually my husband, Todd’s recipe, and the only recipe of his on the site. These potatoes are perfection, just like Todd.
This recipe is perfect for camping. It’s plenty easy to cook in the coals of your campfire while you’re winding down for the day. If you want a little more ease and convenience, try out a camp stove like Camp Chef’s Pro 90X. Using a camp stove feels like cooking on an indoor gas stove, but with all of the beauty of being out in nature.
Cooking Potatoes in a Dutch Oven
We are always feeding a crowd when we’re camping (and even if we’re not, we still make a ton of food). When cooking tons of potatoes, it’s best to make them in a 6-quart Lodge Dutch oven. This will give you enough space on the bottom of the pan to crisp the bacon, and saute the peppers and onions evenly. The bigger surface area also helps to get more of the golden crunchy edges without the potatoes stacking too high in the pan and getting soggy in the middle.
We’ve also done them in a 4-quart Dutch oven, if that’s what you’ve got, but I recommend cooking the bacon in batches so it all gets nice and crispy as well as using slightly less potatoes so it cooks through correctly.
How to Make Dutch Oven Potatoes
The secret to these potatoes is really the joy of cooking them outdoors with family. Food always tastes better outside, in my opinion. The ingredients are simple and the preparation is not difficult at all (which is exactly what you need for camping food!).
- Preheat your Dutch oven. Preheat your cast iron over coals or on a camp stove. If using charcoal, you’ll need about 15 briquettes under the Dutch oven and 10-15 for the lid.
- Cook the bacon and vegetables. Add the diced bacon to the preheated dutch oven and cook until golden brown on the edges. Add the diced onions and bell peppers directly into the rendered bacon. Cook, stirring regularly, until the bacon is crisp and the vegetables are softened. The crisp bacon is key here, because it will soften slightly as the potatoes cook.
- Add the potatoes and cook until softened. The secret is in the potatoes. Using pre-shredded hashbrowns makes this step so incedibly simple. No slicing or chopping potatoes at the camp site and the thinner shreds help the potatoes cook more quickly. Stir gently to incorporate the bacon and vegetables evenly throughout the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through, about 5-10 minutes.
- Layer on sour cream and cheddar cheese. Gently press the potatoes down into an even layer across the bottom of the pan. Spoon the sour cream on top of the potatoes and spread it into another even layer, like you’re frosting a delicious bacon filled potato cake. Sprinkle the top generously with the cheddar cheese.
- Finish cooking the potatoes. If using charcoal, remove a few coals to reduce the amount of heat on the bottom of your Dutch oven to medium low. Place the lid on top and cook until the cheese is nice and melty. If you’re using coals, you can even put some hot coals on the top of the lid to help with this process and get the cheese extra browned and bubbly. Once the cheese is fully melted, you’re good to dish up and serve your family!
More Potato Recipes
Potatoes are the perfect BBQ side, especially when they’re cook alongside your main course on the grill or smoker. Check out more potato recipes from Hey Grill Hey below:
Cheesy Dutch Oven Potatoes Recipe
Cheesy Dutch Oven Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 30-oz bag hash browns
- 1 pound bacon diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 16-oz tub sour cream
- 1 pound medium cheddar cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your dutch oven. Preheat your cast iron over coals or on a camp stove.
- Cook the bacon, onions, and bell peppers. Add the diced bacon to the preheated dutch oven and cook until golden brown on the edges. Add the diced onions and bell peppers directly into the rendered bacon. Cook, stirring regularly, until the bacon is crisp and the vegetables are softened.
- Add the potatoes and cook until softened. Pour in the bag of hash browns. Stir gently to incorporate the bacon and vegetables evenly throughout the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through, about 5-10 minutes.
- Layer on sour cream and cheddar cheese. Gently press the potatoes down into an even layer across the bottom of the pan. Spoon the sour cream on top of the potatoes and spread it into another even layer, like you're frosting a delicious bacon filled potato cake. Sprinkle the top generously with the cheddar cheese.
- Finish cooking the dutch oven potatoes. Reduce the amount of heat on the bottom of your Dutch oven to medium low. Place the Dutch oven lid on top and cook until the cheese is nice and melty. If you're using coals, you can even put some on the top of the lid to help with this process. Once the cheese is fully melted, you're good to dish up and serve your family!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**This post was originally published in July 2017. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
If you were doing this recipe on a smoker or grill, but still using a Dutch oven, what temp would you use?