Campfire Potatoes au Gratin on the Grill

Last updated on April 23, 2019

Campfire potatoes au gratin on the grill can be made in foil for a camping trip. Or in a cast iron pan on the grill. Or make these camping potatoes at home, baked in the oven. This simple scalloped potatoes recipe is packed with enticing flavor from fresh garlic and gooey gruyere cheese. I dare you not to finish this easy campfire potato dish recipe in one sitting.  

Prepare the scalloped potatoes and cream sauce

Slice the potato and red onion to uniform 1/8 inch slices using a mandolin.

Make the sauce. On the stove in a pan on medium heat, combine heavy cream, parsley, and paprika. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes while regularly stirring. Reduce heat to medium-low for an additional 5 minutes.

Arrange the campfire potatoes au gratin in a cast iron skillet

Grease the bottom of a medium sized cast iron skillet with some butter. In a bowl, season potatoes with garlic, salt, red chili flakes, and one tbsp of parsley.

Arrange potatoes and red onions in the cast iron skillet.

Alternate 2 inches of potatoes with 1-2 sections of red onions.

Once potatoes and onions are tightly packed, pour the cream sauce over the ingredients.

Do not overflow the cast iron skillet with the cream sauce.

Drizzle the melted butter over the potatoes and cover the cast iron skillet with foil. Add them to a grill or fire, not directly over heat.

How long does it take to cook potatoes au gratin on the grill or fire?

The potatoes will take about one hour to cook.

You may not have accurate temperature information when dealing with an open flame, so keep checking the potatoes at the 45 minute mark to see if they are done.

Once potatoes can be pierced with a fork, they are ready for the final step.

The cheese…

Cook, uncovered for 5 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

Take off the heat and sprinkle remaining parsley on top.

How to prepare potatoes au gratin for camping

Campfire potatoes au gratin will be one of the first dishes to start cooking since this recipe takes about one hour.

Wrap potatoes in heavy-duty foil or grill bags for an easy cleanup.

Cooking directly on a flame may cook the potatoes unevenly, so rotate the campfire potatoes occasionally. To be sure potatoes are done cooking, pierce them with a fork. If the fork easily pierces the potatoes, they are ready for the cheese.

Add gruyere cheese to the top of the campfire potatoes and finish on the grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Adapting Campfire potatoes au gratin for the oven

To bake scalloped potatoes au gratin in the oven, follow the recipe prep instructions and cook the potatoes at 375 degrees in a casserole dish for about an hour. The potatoes are done when they are tender enough to pierce with a fork.

Once the potatoes are done, sprinkle with cheese and melt in the broiler on high until the cheese is bubbling.

Tasty tips for making campfire potatoes au gratin on the grill

• It’s important to slice the potatoes evenly, which can be achieved with a mandolin
• Aim for potatoes sliced 1/8 inch thick
• To bake these in the oven, cook them at 375 degrees in a casserole dish for about an hour until the potatoes are tender enough to pierce with a fork
• Campfire potatoes can be made in mini cast iron skillets for personal servings
• Potatoes au gratin on the grill can be made in grill bags or foil packets for easy cleanup
• The creamy sauce may bubble and overflow from the heat, so cook these in a cast iron pan high enough to capture the overflow
• To jazz up the flavor, add ingredients like frozen peas, frozen corn and bacon
• Substitute garlic salt to season these campfire potatoes au gratin
• For a kick, drizzle Worscestershire sauce on the campfire potatoes au gratin before putting them on the grill

Let me know when you make this campfire potatoes au gratin recipe. Be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe. It means so much to hear from Sip Bite Go readers and I love seeing photos of your food! Don’t forget to tag me @sipbitego on Instagram so I can see how the recipe turned out. For more ideas you’ll love, sign up for the Sip Bite Go newsletter.

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Campfire Potatoes au Gratin on the Grill Recipe (Sip Bite Go)

Campfire potatoes au gratin on the grill can be made in foil for a camping trip or in a cast iron pan on a grill. This simple scalloped potatoes recipe is packed with enticing flavor from the garlic and tasty gruyere cheese. I dare you not to finish this easy campfire potato dish recipe in one sitting.  

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 455 kcal

Author Jenna Passaro

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp paprika (or any spice you’d like)
• 2 medium russet potatoes peeled and sliced thin
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cloves garlic diced
• 1 tsp red chili flakes (optional)
• 3 tbsp parsley chopped, divided
• 1 medium red onion sliced thin
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
• 1/2 cup gruyere cheese shredded

Instructions

1. Slice the potato and red onion to uniform 1/8 inch slices using a mandolin.

2. Make the sauce. On the stove in a pan on medium heat, combine heavy cream, parsley, and paprika. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes while regularly stirring. Reduce heat to medium-low for an additional 5 minutes. 

3. Grease the bottom of a medium sized cast iron skillet with some butter. In a bowl, season potatoes with garlic, salt, red chili flakes, and one tbsp of parsley. Arrange potatoes and red onions in the cast iron skillet, alternating 2 inches of potatoes with 1-2 sections of red onions. Once potatoes and onions are tightly packed, pour the cream sauce over the ingredients. Do not overflow the cast iron skillet. The sauce will bubble up as it cooks. 
   

4. Drizzle the melted butter over the potatoes and cover the cast iron skillet with foil. Add them to a grill or fire, not directly over heat. The potatoes will take about one hour to cook. You may not have accurate temperature information, so keep checking the potatoes at the 45 minute mark to see if they are done. Once potatoes can be pierced with a fork, they are ready. 

5. Once you can stick a fork in them, the potatoes are ready for the final touch. Remove the foil and sprinkle gruyere cheese on top. Cook, uncovered for 5 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Take off the heat and sprinkle remaining parsley on top.

Recipe Notes

• It's important to slice the potatoes evenly, which can be achieved with a mandolin. Aim for potatoes sliced 1/8 inch thick
• To bake these in the oven, cook them at 375 degrees in a casserole dish for about an hour until the potatoes are tender enough to pierce with a fork
• Campfire potatoes can be made in mini cast iron skillets for personal servings, or in grill bags or foil packets for easy cleanup
• The creamy sauce may bubble and overflow from the heat, so cook these in a cast iron pan high enough to capture the overflow
• To jazz up the flavor, add ingredients like frozen peas, frozen corn and bacon
• Substitute garlic salt to season these campfire potatoes au gratin
• For a kick, drizzle Worscestershire sauce on the campfire potatoes au gratin before putting them on the grill

Nutrition Facts

Campfire Potatoes au Gratin on the Grill Recipe (Sip Bite Go)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 455 Calories from Fat 324

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 36g 55%

Saturated Fat 22g 110%

Cholesterol 122mg 41%

Sodium 678mg 28%

Potassium 606mg 17%

Total Carbohydrates 25g 8%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 2g

Protein 9g 18%

Vitamin A 45%

Vitamin C 16%

Calcium 24%

Iron 8.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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