Homemade tater tot experiment a golden success

Golden brown and crispy Homemade Tater Tots are excellent sprinkled with salt and dipped in ketchup.
Golden brown and crispy Homemade Tater Tots are excellent sprinkled with salt and dipped in ketchup.

"Napoleon. Give me some of your tots."

"No. Go get your own!"

-- Napoleon Dynamite

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Food styling/KELLY BRANT

Loaded Tater Tot Dip can be served as an appetizer with tortilla chips or as an entree.

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Food styling/KELLY BRANT

Cowboy Casserole includes ground beef, tater tots, onion, corn, cream of mushroom soup and plenty of cheese.

It's hard to blame the title character from the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite for not handing over his stash of tater tots. The little barrel-shaped bites of shredded potato and crunchy coating are delicious and handy, though perhaps not quite as ubiquitous as their other starchy fried cousins.

Of all the potato iterations -- boiled, baked, mashed, fried, shredded into hash browns -- the tot is often simply served as an occasional alternative to french fries, plucked from the supermarket freezer in a large bag and rarely a dish to consider making from scratch.

It's easy to see why. Slicing a potato into slivers and frying it in hot oil to make fries to serve alongside that grilled burger is far simpler than making one's own tots.

And it is certainly easier to toss a handful of packaged tater tots into the fryer if you're not in the mood for fries. Tots in this manner have been around since 1953, when Mormon brothers and Ore-Ida founders Golden and F. Nephi Grigg decided to season and mash together leftover potato scraps and see whether the product would sell. A contest among Ore-Ida employees to name the concoction was won when Clora Lay Orton came up with the Tater Tot sobriquet and a tasty side dish, and eventual cornerstone to certain casseroles, was born. The New York Daily News reported last year that Ore-Ida sells about 86 million pounds of Tater Tots annually.

Yet, for all the convenience and tastiness found in a bag of tots or "potato rounds" from the grocery freezer, with just a little elbow grease and a bit of preparation, homemade tater tots can be even better.

After searching online, we landed upon a recipe calling for grated russet potatoes mixed with eggs and seasonings and rolled in panko breadcrumbs before being quickly fried. Our results, even the first -- experimental tots that looked more like croquettes -- were excellent. The exterior was golden brown and crispy while the inside was fluffy and flavorful. Sprinkled with salt and dipped in ketchup, these

homemade potato bites were excellent companions for our grilled rib-eyes and salad. The leftovers can be frozen and warm up nicely in the oven.

These home kitchen versions also benefit from scavenging through the refrigerator. Adding finely chopped onion, bell pepper, jalapenos or even crispy bacon bits could elevate a batch of tots to special appetizer status.

But don't feel like we're hating on the bags of frozen tots. In fact, we just poured three cups' worth of them into a bowl to thaw and later become the base for the decadent and mouthwatering Loaded Baked Tater Tot Dip (don't let the "Dip" in the title fool you. This dish is just as good as a main course eaten with a fork as it is when scooped with pita or tortilla chips).

And if the world has learned nothing else from the reality show 19 Kids and Counting, featuring the ever-growing Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar family of Tontitown, it's that a simple Tater Tot Casserole is easy to prepare and can keep a small army nourished. Gooey, cheesy and salty, with a bit of a crunch, Tater Tot casseroles may not look like much, but are a breeze to whip together for a weeknight supper or to bring to the office or church potluck.

Homemade Tater Tots

2 pounds russet potatoes

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1½ cups panko Japanese-style breadcrumbs

Vegetable oil

In a large pot, combine the whole, unpeeled potatoes with enough cold water to cover by one inch. Bring to a boil; boil 20 minutes. Remove potatoes and let cool for 20 minutes.

Remove potato skins and, using the large holes on a box grater, grate flesh into medium bowl. Season with salt, cracked pepper, onion powder, flour and eggs and mix gently to combine.

Heat oven to 200 degrees.

Pour oil about 2 inches deep into medium cast-iron skillet or other heavy-bottomed pan and heat to 375 degrees.

Pour breadcrumbs into a large bowl. Spoon a tablespoon of potato mix into your hand and form into a tot shape. Roll in breadcrumbs and transfer, 6 at a time, to hot oil and fry until golden, about 3 minutes.

Drain tots on a paper towel and place on baking sheet in oven to keep warm while the other batches are frying.

Makes about 3 dozen tots.

Recipe adapted from afamilyfeast.com

Loaded Baked Tater Tot Dip

3 cups tater tots, thawed

1 cup cooked, crumbled sausage, drained

16 ounces sour cream

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided use

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Chopped green onion, optional

Tortilla chips, for serving (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees and coat a 9-inch pie dish or similar-size baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Roughly chop thawed tots and transfer to large mixing bowl. Add the cooked sausage, sour cream, 1 cup of the cheese, the garlic powder, onion powder and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Transfer mixture to pie dish and top with remaining cheese.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown. Sprinkle with green onion, if desired. Serve with chips, if desired.

Makes about 8 entree servings.

Recipe generously adapted from averiecooks.com

Cowboy Casserole

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1½ pounds ground beef

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

½ cup milk

1/4 cup sour cream

1 (11- to 15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided use

1 (30- to 32-ounce) bag frozen tater tots, thawed

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook the onion until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the beef and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

In small bowl, combine the soup, milk and sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add to beef mixture and stir to combine. Add corn and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Mix to combine.

Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Layer half of tots on bottom and pour beef mixture on top. Layer remaining tots on mixture and bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Recipe adapted from thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com

Tater Tot Casserole

1 large onion, chopped

2 pounds ground beef

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 (24-ounce) package frozen tater tots

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook onion in skillet until translucent. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain.

In medium bowl, combine soups, beef and onion.

Layer bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with tater tots. Top with soup and beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 1 hour.

Recipe from High Cotton Cookin'

Food on 05/06/2015

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