Mulligan Stew

Mulligan stew is a campfire meal from my youth. Camping with the Boy Scouts (Eddie Dezendorf, Scoutmaster), mulligan was probably the first meal I learned to cook.

Mulligan takes very few ingredients and they are easily transported. It's not especially heart-healthy, unless your heart craves simple, filling food that will chase away the cold and leave a warm spot in your tummy.



Mulligan Stew

5 lbs potatoes
2 packs (12 oz each) bacon
1 onion
cup flour
water
salt
pepper.

Prep is important here, so peel your potatoes first, then cut them into small pieces. Chop the onion. Cut the bacon into pieces. I normally cut the whole pack into four pieces.

Then, get out your dutch oven. Put it on the fire. Brown your bacon. Just as the bacon gets brown, drop the chopped onion in the bacon grease and sautee it. Remove bacon/onion mix and set aside. Put enough flour into the bacon grease until you have a roux. Cook it to a peanut butter color. Add some water, then the bacon/onion mix, then the potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.

This stew will stick, so be careful to stir it frequently. As it cooks, it'll thicken a little, so have water to add. Keep stirring every four or five minutes, which is easy to do while you're standing over the campfire smelling the stew. This aroma will soon cover several acres, so it's good this recipe makes a lot. You may have visitors in your camp before the potatoes are tender.

Traditionally, we served the stew over common light bread, but if you want to, put on a pot of rice while the potatoes cook. Either way it's a filling meal that serves a bunch of people.

Mulligan stew. It's what's for dinner.