Bacon Cheddar Potato Packets

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Whether you’re grilling burgers, chicken, or beef these Bacon Cheddar Potato Packets go on the grill alongside your entree. They are the ideal side dish for many entrees and are fun to serve at parties.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• These potato packs are the perfect camping side dish.
• You can do a lot of advanced prep work and then assemble just before grilling.
• If you don’t have a grill or it’s raining or cold, these can easily be made in the oven.

Ingredients

Whether you choose to make these bacon Cheddar potato packets on the grill or in the oven, just six ingredients are needed for this side dish that’s sure to become a favorite.

• Potatoes – Idahos are my first choice.
• Cheddar Cheese – Shred it yourself, don’t buy pre-shredded.
• Bacon – You need to cook it first.
• Butter – I prefer unsalted.
• Salt and Pepper – Or other favorite seasonings. See the tips below.
• Green Onions – Also known as spring onions.

Advance Prep

Tasks you can do in advance when making these bacon Cheddar potato packets include shredding the cheese, cooking the bacon, and slicing the green onions.

You can also cut up the potatoes but be sure to keep them in a bowl of water so they don’t brown.

Why should you soak cut potatoes in water?

The reason is to prevent the potatoes from exposure to air, which causes dehydration, oxidation, and discoloration. Immersing cut potatoes also helps rinse off the excess starch. You can soak the potatoes anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight.

How do you serve bacon cheddar potato packets?

Making individual sides is fun and easy. Once these packets are done, I put the whole foil pack on the plate with the entree. You certainly could choose to turn the potatoes out of the packet onto the plate if you prefer.

Tips and Additions

• Mix up the seasonings. Add some heat with cayenne pepper. Spice them up with garlic powder in addition to the salt and pepper.
• Rather than sprinkle green onions on at the end, slice a sweet onion into wedges and include it in the packet.
• Use a blend of cheeses rather than just one type.
• If you prefer you could bake packets rather than putting them on the grill. 
• Use sweet potatoes or red potatoes in place of the Idaho potatoes.

More kid-friendly potato recipes

Home-baked potato chips are perfect with sandwiches as are restaurant-style potato wedges. Herbed hasselback potatoes are perfect with chicken or steak.

More Delicious Cookout Side Dishes:

In my house, it’s not a cookout unless Gigi’s Baked Beans are served. This recipe has been in my family for 50 years. Creamy Coleslaw is another classic side that is always popular.

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Bacon Cheddar Potato Packets

Throw potato packets on the grill alongside your entree.

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon, cheddar, green onions, grilling, Potatoes

Servings: 4

Author: Ellen Folkman

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 4 medium Idaho potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
• 2 green onions, sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

• Preheat grill to medium heat. You’ll need 4 large squares of aluminum foil. Spray each piece of aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray.
• Place cubed potatoes on each of the 4 squares of foil.
• Add 1 tablespoon of butter to each portion and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Cover potatoes with about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of bacon pieces. Wrap foil securely around potatoes. Pierce foil with a knife several times to vent steam while cooking.
• Place on preheated grill. Cover grill and cook over medium heat for 45 – 55 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Recipe Notes

If you bake them do so at 350 degrees F. Check the packets at about 30 minutes and adjust your time from there. If you use sweet potatoes, you may need to adjust the cooking time as well.

This post was originally published on June 6, 2016 and updated on May 10, 2020.