TWICE BAKED SWEET POTATO

Now that you know how to bake a sweet potato in a wood fire, here is how you can make that hot, steamy baked sweet potato even better! 

1 medium-sized sweet potato
1/4 cup crushed pineapple - do not drain
2 T. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. melted butter
1 T. chopped walnuts
2 pinches cinnamon
small marshmallows
shortening - small amount
3-cup mini Dutch Oven (3/4 quart)

{Keep in mind, ALL of these ingredients can be varied to your personal taste.}
Remove peel from baked sweet potato. In a medium-sized bowl, mash sweet potato with a fork, leaving it slightly lumpy.

Measure out 1 rounded cup of the mashed sweet potato into another bowl. (refrigerate remaining sweet potato, if any, for a later use).

Add to the measured, mashed sweet potato, the pineapple, brown sugar, butter, walnuts, and cinnamon.
Stir together until thoroughly blended.

Lightly grease the inside of your mini Dutch Oven. Press all of the sweet potato mixture into the mini Dutch Oven. Place lid on top.

Wood Stove: Inside your wood stove, push the coals back away from one corner. Set the filled Dutch Oven in that corner. Coals can be close to it, but not touching. Bake, turning the oven around occasionally, until the sweet potato mixture is thoroughly hot through.
      Remove lid (lid will be extremely hot!) and top the sweet potato mixture with mini marshmallows. Let bake a little bit longer, uncovered, until the marshmallows puff up and are golden brown.  Serve while hot.

Camp Fire: With your camp or back packing shovel, rake out a clear area in the middle of the coals, large enough to set the filled Dutch Oven. Set your Dutch Oven in that cleared out space. Make sure coals are as close to the oven as possible, without touching the oven. Shovel a few coals into the indented lid of the Dutch Oven.
    Let cook until the sweet potatoes are thoroughly hot through. Carefully scrape the coals off of the lid with your shovel and remove lid (use heat safe mitts or gloves!). While the Dutch Oven is still surrounded by coals, top the sweet potato mixture with the mini marshmallows. Let it continue to cook, uncovered, until the marshmallows are puffed and golden brown. Serve hot!

Baked Sweet or White Potato

1 large sweet potato or white baking potato (or any size you desire)
1 sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil
Butter and other toppings of your choice

Thoroughly scrub potato clean. Cut out any bad spots (Be careful. Uncooked sweet potatoes are very hard and your knife will slip easily). Do NOT dry your potato.

Place your very damp potato on your sheet of foil, making sure the shiny side of the foil is UP.
Completely wrap your potato up in the foil, folding one end of the foil over one side of the potato, and the other end over the other side.

Method 1: Place thoroughly wrapped potato inside your wood stove, close to but not in or touching the coals. Keep away from actual flames.

Method 2: At the edge of your campfire, using your camp shovel, carefully scratch and scoot out an opening in the center of a bed of glowing coals. Place your wrapped potato in the cleared opening. Make sure the coals surround the potato, but do not touch it.

Periodically turn your potato while it is cooking so it will cook evenly. Be patient and let your potato slow cook for 1 to 3 hours ...... cooking time depends on the size of the potato and the temperature of the fire/coals. Do NOT open up the foil before your potato has finished cooking. This will cause it to dry out and cook unevenly.
Test to see if your potato is done by gently squeezing it or pressing on it with your small fire shovel. {Be extra careful as the potato and the foil can get extremely hot!  Use of a heat safe protective mitt is strongly suggested.  Do not stick your bare hand in the fire, nor grab hold of the foil with it!} When your potato is done, you will be able to feel the "give" in it all the way to the center (Do not press it all the way to the center and smash it, you will simply be able to feel that it is soft all the way through.).

When potato is completely cooked, remove from fire with tongs or your fire shovel. Open the foil VERY CAREFULLY keeping in mind that hot steam will probably come pouring out. This steam will burn very fast and possibly over a large area of skin. I like to stand way back and use my hot dog roasting stick to open mine. Split potato open with a knife. If using butter, add it immediately so it will melt in. Add any other toppings you enjoy on your baked sweet or white potato and ENJOY!!!