Cast Iron Breakfast Recipe: Campfire Chilaquiles

Campfire cooking can be one of the best parts of camping. Who doesn’t love toasting a marshmallow on a stick? The key to cooking over a fire without losing your patience is being adaptable. Each fire has its own tendencies, so you have to feel those out. Practice makes perfect, so we've noted some of what we've learned to help put you on the fast-track to success.

A few tips to keep in mind:

• If the egg is cooking too quick, take the pan off the heat for a few minutes while you let the fire die down a bit.
  
• Cast iron will hold heat for a while, so the dish will continue cooking for minutes after it is removed.
  
• If the fire you’re cooking on happens to have a grate on it, you are in luck. We used a makeshift grate for our fire and it worked just fine. But you can do without.
  
• Be sure to have a good cloth or potholder handy for cooking.
  
• Bring salt and olive oil in little jars so that you don’t have to bring full containers on your trip.

• 1 tbsp of olive oil or butter
  
• 6 eggs
  
• salt
  
• 1 jar of tomatillo salsa
  
• 1 can of drained black beans
  
• ½ a bag of tortilla chips, or about three handfuls
  
• ½ cup of water
  
• 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
  
• chopped scallions
  
• hot sauce
  

First, fry the eggs in the olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt over them. You want the eggs to be over easy, so just a couple of minutes on each side. Once the eggs are done, remove them and set them on a plate while you prepare the rest.

Remove the pan from the fire while you pour the beans and salsa into the pan. Crumble handfuls of chips into the mixture and stir until it's all mixed up. Pour a touch of water into mixture to loosen it up. Place back on the fire and let it cook until it's bubbly all around.

Add the eggs back on top and cover with cheese. Cook until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat, add scallion, and hot sauce for garnish.

Serves 6-10. ∆