Dutch Oven Idaho Potatoes

5 from 4 votes

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Kind of like a rough and ready-scalloped potato dish in a cast iron pot.

Spoon in a Dutch Oven of Idaho Potatoes.

Tender potatoes are cooked up in a Dutch oven with some broth cream, cheese, and onions in this classic Midwestern potato side dish. This is a super popular potato and cheese dish for a very good reason — it’s comfort food on steroids.

In the fall of 2018, I accepted an invitation to fly out to Idaho and see just what went down during potato harvesting season in Idaho. If you invite me to see something grown, made, or harvested, I will move small mountains to see that. I love getting that extra step back into how it happens, that behind-the-scenes peek.

We did a whole bunch of potato-related things (dehydrated potato plant, potato shipper center, which was built right next to the train line that ferries all of those potatoes to the rest of the country), and dinner with potato commissioners. (We also went to Bear World, where we got to feed baby bears with bottles, which was truly a life-changing moment. Please don’t miss this if you have the chance.)

Then we took a drive to Brett Jensen Farms in Bonneville Country, where the amiable third-generation potato farmer Brett Jensen oversees a mind-boggling potato farming operation.

The sheer volume! 125 million pounds of potatoes were finishing being loaded and stored in their 30 massive humidity and temperature-controlled potato storages — there are thousands of these storages spread throughout the state. These potatoes will be gradually shipped out all over the country and the world over the coming months (412 pounds of Idaho potatoes are sold every second).

Did you know that Idaho produces 13 BILLION pounds of potatoes every year, most of them russets? Billion. With a B. Idaho grows enough potatoes to fill 500 football stadiums 10 feet high with spuds.

Scoop of Dutch Oven Idaho Potatoes on a spoon.

Dutch Oven Idaho Potatoes: One of the best potato dishes from potato country. This is like an informal scalloped potato dish with bacon, leeks, and mushrooms.

Tweet This

Best Idaho Potato Dish

I was so overwhelmed with the harvesting process that I almost forgot to ask the question I most wanted to know the answer to: “How do you cook your potatoes?” (Because, geez, who wouldn’t want to know that from a potato farmer?)

Brett described this dish, which essentially is one of the state potato dishes in Idaho. Everyone makes it, everyone knows exactly what it is, and it’s hard to imagine a big family gathering or party without it. It also seems to be very popular as a campout dish since, typically, it’s made in a cast-iron pot nestled into burning coals. (I assume these campouts don’t involve long hikes.)

Spoon in a Dutch Oven of Idaho Potatoes.

What Are Dutch Oven Potatoes?

They are like an informal scalloped potato dish with bacon, or a rough-and-ready potato gratin. As Brett described it, you start with a cast iron Dutch oven, maybe enamel coated, maybe not. People who host big gatherings, like the Jensens, often have quite a number of them, which they fire up when they are feeding a crowd.

Here’s the upshot: you slice up some potatoes (skin on, please — don’t lose that extra fiber!), chop up some onions, and cook up some bacon. These get all layered up with some salt and pepper and garlic powder and a can of cream of mushroom soup for the liquid. The pot gets nestled into a fire, and hot charcoal briquets are placed all around it, as well as on top of the pot.

Turn the potatoes as you think of it, said Brett, and replace the briquets with hotter ones as needed. Then, when the potatoes are tender, lift off the lid and sprinkle over a bunch of shredded cheddar. The timing seems to vary a lot, which is reasonable. When you are working with a deep cast iron pot filled with potatoes and live fire, you just have to wait and see when things are done.

Ingredients

Potatoes, leeks, mushrooms, bacon, and other ingredients on marble.
  • Bacon – The bacon gets cooked until crispy before getting crumbled up and layered with the potatoes. I hit the bacon pretty hard, but you can do as your conscience dictates.
  • Idaho potatoes – Slice the potatoes about ¼-inch thick, so they are thin enough to cook all the way through but won’t get mushy in the oven.
  • Olive, vegetable, or canola oil – Any kind of neutral oil will work in this recipe.
  • Onion – You can stick with plain old onions and no leeks for simplicity; 2 to 3 cups of chopped onions would be about right
  • Leeks – In combo with the onions
  • Mushrooms – Any type.
  • Minced garlic – Mince the garlic finely for the most flavor.
  • Dry white wine – The wine is used to deglaze the pan and adds a nice acidity to the sauce.
  • Chicken broth – Use less sodium chicken broth so that your potatoes don’t get too salty.
  • Light or heavy cream – I use cream to substitute for the creaminess of the canned cream of mushroom soup, which is more traditional in the old-school versions of this recipe.
  • Flat-leaf parsley – Adds a pop of green and some herby flavor.
  • Sharp cheddar cheese – I used a mixture of Gruyere and sharp cheddar, but you can use any shredded cheese you like.
Fork with Dutch Oven Idaho Potatoes.

How to Make Dutch Oven Idaho Potatoes

Back home in New York City, I set about recreating this dish. I skipped the canned cream of mushroom soup because I just wanted to kick it up a notch. And I also skipped the campfire because my building Super would have been really pissed. I used fresh mushrooms, a pile of leeks (just because I had them), and also some onions.

  1. Cook the bacon.
  2. Cook the vegetables: In the same skillet, sauté the onion and leeks. Add the mushrooms and cook until brown. Then add the garlic.
  3. Add the liquid: Deglaze the pan with wine, then add the cream, broth, and parsley.
Woman sauteing leeks and onions in a pan.
  1. Prepare the potatoes: Place ⅓ of the potatoes in a Dutch oven or other heavy ovenproof pot with a lid. 
Woman placing potatoes in a cast iron pot.
  1. Start layering the casserole: Spoon over about ⅓ of the mushroom leek mixture from the skillet. 
Woman spooning sauteed leeks and onions over potatoes in a cast iron pot.
  1. Continue layering: Layer another ⅓ of the potatoes on top, then spoon over another ⅓ of the mushrooms and leeks. Sprinkle over ⅓ of the bacon. Keep repeating the layers until everything is used up. And make sure there is some cheese with each serving.
Woman layering potato casserole ingredients in a cast iron pot.
  1. Bake: Cover the pot and bake for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender. When the potatoes are cooked, remove the pot from the oven and sprinkle over the cheese. Cover and let sit for a bit until the cheese is melted.
Idaho Potatoes in a black Dutch Oven with the lid being removed.

FAQs

What kind of potato is best for Dutch oven Idaho potatoes?

Use good old Idaho Russets to make this dish, which is the potato you probably most associate with Idaho potatoes. Even though Idaho produces 25 different kinds of potatoes, it’s the Burbank Russets that you’re likely grabbing when you reach for Idaho potatoes in your market.

What can I use instead of cream of mushroom soup?

It’s super easy to substitute any creamy, mushroomy sauce for canned cream of mushroom soup in a recipe like this one. I sauté some onions and leeks down with garlic, then add mushrooms and cook until brown. Then, I deglaze the pan with some white wine and add heavy cream and chicken broth. This sauce will fill in for the canned soup in this Idaho-style potato recipe.

How do I know my Dutch oven potatoes are done cooking?

To test if your potatoes are cooked, take the lid off of the Dutch oven and stick a fork in one of the potato slices. The fork should slide in easily without any resistance. At this point, you are ready to add the cheese and allow it to melt before serving.

Plate with salad, meat, and Dutch Oven Idaho Potatoes.

Pro Cooking Tips and Variations

  • As the potatoes soften in the oven, be careful when stirring them so they don’t fall apart too much.
  • Use all onions instead of the combo of onions and leeks, about 3 cups total.

Storage and Leftovers

You can keep leftover Dutch oven potatoes for up to 4 days in the fridge in a covered container. Reheat in the oven in a covered pan or in the microwave.

What to Serve With Dutch Oven Potatoes

Dutch Oven Idaho Potatoes on a plate with greens and meat.

More Potato Recipes

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It
5 from 4 votes

Dutch Oven Idaho Potatoes

Kind of like a rough and ready-scalloped potato dish in a cast iron pot.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 10 People

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 10 slices bacon (sliced into 1-inch pieces)
  • 5 large Idaho potatoes (scrubbed; 3 to 3 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon olive, vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 3 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and light green parts only)
  • 1 pound cleaned and roughly chopped mushrooms (any type)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup light or heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a plate with paper towels. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and sauté until just crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to the paper towel-lined plate and pour off the excess fat.
  • Meanwhile, slice the potatoes about ¼-inch thick.
  • Return the skillet to medium meat. Add the oil and then add the onions and leeks and sauté until very lightly browned and softened, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and turn the heat up to medium-high. Sauté for about 8 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and golden brown and any liquid that was released has evaporated. Add the garlic and stir for one minute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Pour in the white wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to mostly evaporate, then add the broth, cream, and parsley and bring to a simmer. 
  • Place of the potatoes in a Dutch oven or other heavy ovenproof pot with a lid. Spoon over about of the mushroom leek mixture from the skillet. Sprinkle over of the bacon. Layer another of the potatoes on top, then spoon over another of the mushrooms and leeks, and another of the bacon. Layer over the rest of the potatoes, sprinkle over the rest of the mushrooms and leeks, then pour over the remaining cream mixture. Finish with the rest of the bacon.
  • Cover the pot and bake for about 1 hour, gently stirring the vegetables at 20 minutes and 40 minutes, then cook an additional 20 minutes or so, until the potatoes are tender. When the potatoes are cooked, remove the pot from the oven, sprinkle over the cheese, and replace the lid. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is melted, and serve. Scoop down to get the potatoes and the bottom, and make sure there is some cheese with each serving.

Notes

  • For cheese, I used a mixture of Gruyere and sharp cheddar, but you can use any shredded cheese you like.
  • As the potatoes soften in the oven, be careful when stirring them so they don’t fall apart too much.
  • Use all onions instead of the combo of onions and leeks, about 3 cups total.
  • You can keep leftover Dutch oven potatoes for up to 4 days in the fridge in a covered container. Rehat in the oven in a covered pan or in the microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 443.34kcal, Carbohydrates: 36.54g, Protein: 16.97g, Fat: 25.49g, Saturated Fat: 12.67g, Cholesterol: 63.43mg, Sodium: 470.2mg, Potassium: 978.56mg, Fiber: 3.21g, Sugar: 3.74g, Vitamin A: 981.86IU, Vitamin C: 15.18mg, Calcium: 296.26mg, Iron: 2.61mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

You May Also Like:

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. We cook these potatoes without the cheese and adding chicken tenders, chicken thighs, and/or chicken breasts. We line the dutch oven with bacon, season each layer with season salt (bacon, potato, onion, chicken, repeat) as we build the pot. Top off with layer of bacon. Sometimes we add asparagus layers and a little fresh garlic and a little freshpaarsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. No soup, cream or water. Turn the pot every 15 minutes over the coals for even cooking. Usually takes about 45 minutes. We call it Spuds and Onions with chicken. We like to serve it with Mexican style street corn and a fruit cobbler with ice cream (plain if we are roughing it) for dessert.