Camping Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Bacon

Sometimes I don't know what to cook, I'm wracked with indecision over the simplest thing--

What to make for dinner?

When you're camping, you'd think it would be easy--just make what you brought and have planned.

But what I have planned doesn't always suit me at the time.


I have issues, I know.

We had a few slices of bacon left from the 3 lbs. we brought along.

I got to talking with Mitchell about what to make with the bacon.

Mitchell loves bacon.

He said that maybe we could fry it up, then crumble it onto some mashed potatoes.

That sounded so good!

Only problem was--I didn't bring a potato masher.

In comes Keith to the rescue!

Keith said he had just made some mashed potatoes at home using a slotted spoon, and that's what he and Karen did.

They made mashed potatoes with a slotted spoon and slotted spatula.

When you're camping, you have to improvise!

It was so much fun watching the two of them mashing the boiled red potatoes with the improvised utensils, adding butter and milk, salt and pepper.

They also added the leftover roasted garlic cloves from the night before--which Rick and Jessica removed from their husks and painstakingly trimmed all the burned parts off.

When it was done, they tasted the finished product and adjusted the seasonings.

Mitchell fried up the remaining slices of peppered bacon and crumbled them.

These were some of the best mashed potatoes I've had--they had really nice texture, with a bit of chunkiness, but still creamy--and topped with just a sprinkling of bacon bits for a blast of flavor and saltiness.

I wish I would have gotten photos of everyone helping put this together--that's what makes it all so much fun for me--everyone helps.

I think that's what makes the meals taste so good!

The night before, we used one of the steaks to make bacon wrapped camping kebobs, and cut the remaining rib eyes into thirds, which was plenty for everyone.

Robert barbecued them over the campfire perfectly.

We made a quick citrus marinade with lemons and limes I brought along with sliced onions and cilantro.

I added some Tapatio hot sauce and Keith added some shoyu.

Connie sliced the chicken breasts and thighs into strips, which made the grilling fast and easy.

The result was delicious!

Connie, Keith & Emily roasted the squash perfectly.

Robert roasted the peppers and Rick & Jezzie peeled and sliced them.

Yum!

There was especially a lot of fervor around the food table that night.

Beeto doesn't eat much, but she said she ate two platefuls that night.

Robert and Connie are always the last in line.

Thanks for suggesting the mashed potatoes, Mitchell, they were delicious!

Thanks, Keith, for working hard to make them!

Karen and Connie, too!

The kids went on a hike around the lake and up to a patch of snow.

Is that the patch of snow you walked to?

It looks far!

Jessica took her camera and got some nice shots on the hike.

Thanks, Jessica, for sharing your photos!

Time to pack up and go home!

Thanks, everyone, for such a fun trip!

No printable recipe.