SouthEast Camper

Archive for the ‘Side Dish’ Category


A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven is a must for golden brown crust, while hot turn the cornbread onto a plate, leave it bottom side up to preserve its crunchy texture.

1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar (optional)
1 cup Buttermilk
1/4 cup Bacon Drippings, Corn Oil or Melted Butter
2 Large Eggs

Grease a 10 inch Dutch oven and set on 4 or 5 charcoals and ring lid all the way around with charcoals to preheat. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients, stirring well; add to wet ingredients to dry ingredients stirring just until moistened. Pour into hot Dutch and put on preheated lid. Rotate 45º on coals to even out the hot spots on the bottom. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown or use the smell test. Remove from Dutch oven and serve.

Or

Grease a 10 inch cast-iron skillet and put in oven while it preheats to 400º. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients, stirring well; add to wet ingredients to dry ingredients stirring just until moistened. Pour into hot skillet. Bake at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from skillet and serve.

If it’s not cooked in a cast iron skillet it’s not Southern. I have a cast iron skillet dedicated to nothing but Cornbread.




1 Large Onion
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Brown Sugar
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Cut the top off the onion. Cut just enough off the bottom of the onion, so it will stand up straight. Peel off the remaining skin. Cut the onion into 4 to 6 wedges stopping just short of going all the way through. This will keep it together. Tear off two pieces of aluminum foil 10 to 12 inches long. The double layer will protect the onion from burning while on the grill. Place the onion centered on the foil pulling foil up tight and around onion. Crimp foil so the top of the onion is exposed. Add salt and pepper and brown sugar. Then drizzle the olive oil over onion to moisten the brown sugar.

Place the onion directly over medium high heat until it is hot. Then move onion away from heat and bake indirectly for 20 minutes or till desired softness. Using tongs to reach into foil and pull out onion wedges.




This is great way to have onions on your steak, burgers or chicken sandwiches. You can add other seasonings to make an ordinary onion fit any main dish you want.

We hope you enjoy this simple grilling recipe.




This side dish is good and easy, almost lazy.

Large Russet Potatoes, the long not so round ones.
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper

Wash spuds and cut them into rounds about 1” thick. Figure about 3 rounds per person. Lightly fork the rounds on the cut sides, be careful not to break them and put in bowl. Coat spuds with oil and toss, then shake remaining ingredients on spuds while tossing to cover all sides. Let stand for few minutes for flavors to penetrate to spuds.

If cooking on a grill put spuds directly over heat to apply grill marks and lightly browned. Turn spuds and repeat. After all the spuds are browned finish baking with indirect heat for 30 or so minutes.

If cooking over an open fire grill spuds on a grate then transfer to a large Dutch oven with a trivet and finish the baking process.

These potatoes will have a light brown toasty outside, but very moist and smooth in the middle. No matter how you make them the smoky grill flavor is great.




Slicing spuds take a while, but this is an easy dish to make.

4 – 6 Russet Potatoes
1 small Onion
1/2 cup Milk
Butter
Paprika
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Vegetable Oil Spray

Slice potatoes very thin, about 1/8 thick. Leave one or two potatoes to slice later if needed. To speed up the cutting process use a mandolin slicer. Finely dice onion and set aside. Spray bottom of 8” Dutch oven lightly with vegetable oil. Place a single layer of sliced potatoes in bottom of Dutch oven. Sprinkle with some onions, three or four dots of butter, salt and pepper. Continue layering up and stop about 1” from top. Dust with paprika for added color. Pour milk slowly down side of oven. If you pour milk straight over the top all the spices will be in the bottom. Bake for about 50 minutes to an hour.

This dish is a nice change to baked potatoes. Try adding shredded cheese for Au Gratin Potatoes. Anything that could be put on a baked potato or on potato skins can go in.

Camp Master