Foil Dinners & Campfire Brussel Sprouts

A few weekends ago, Chris and I went camping up at Palomar Mountain State Park (if you love trees, you should go. Coming from someone who moved from a subtropical rain forest to the desert, this place is tree therapy). We hit the farmers market on our way out and grabbed some ingredients to make our childhood camping favorite- foil dinners.

What I've started to realize throughout my time of frequenting these local markets is that if you are heading out on a road or camping trip, stopping by the market on your way out is well worth the small amount of extra time it takes to shop there than at the grocery store. 

*You can make a vegetarian option by eliminating the ground beef and adding the sprouts to the main meal.

Foil Dinners

• 1/2 lb grass fed ground beef
• 10-12 mixed baby potatoes (or 3 red potatoes)
• 1 shallot*
• 5-6 small carrots
• 2 large lettuce leaves
• 6 garlic cloves
• Worcestershire sauce
• Butter
• Salt and pepper

Campfire Brussels Sprouts

• 1 lb brussels sprouts
• 1 shallot*
• 3 garlic cloves
• Butter
• Salt and pepper

Start your campfire. Lay out 3 pieces of foil- two for the dinners and one for the sprouts. You'll want to make sure you have enough foil to fold over itself to create a sealed package, roughly 18 inches long.

For the foil dinners, place a lettuce leaf in the center of each foil piece. Cut potatoes, onion and carrots into 1 inch pieces and dice garlic cloves. Divide cut veggies, garlic and ground beef evenly and place on top of the lettuce. The lettuce might seem like an odd addition, but it will keep the dinners from burning in the coals and will keep your meet moist while cooking.

Add 7 to 8 shakes of Worcestershire sauce to each dinner - this measurement can certainly be adjusted based on your taste. Add a couple of pats of butter on top and sprinkle each with a pinch of salt and pepper. Starting hot-dog style (or taking the two longer sides of the foil), fold the edges together until they touch and pinch together to form a seal. Do the same with the opposite ends, but make sure they overlap. Check to be sure that all end are sealed- this will steam the dinners and trap the flavors. 

For the brussel sprouts, lay out a piece of foil just like you did for the dinners. Cut each sprout in half, chop the shallot and garlic cloves and place on the foil. Top with a couple of pats of butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold over and seal the same way as the dinners.

Place the dinners and sprouts on outer edges of your campfire coals and cook for 15-20 minutes. They may take longer depending on the strength of your fire, so check them after 15 by poking a potato with a fork or knife. If they need more time, reseal and return to the fire and check them every 5 minutes. If the sprouts begin to burn do to the heat of the coals, try moving the to the further edges or place them on the grill grate above the fire pit if it has one. 

*The shallot can be substituted for 1/2 a small onion if you can't find a shallot easily

Serves 2