Tasty tots

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I love tater tots. I love, love, love them. They are an amazingly delicious treat and I would eat them all the time if I could. Only I live in Scotland. And Scotland doesn’t do tots. In fact, they don’t even know what tots are. So if I want tots, I have to make them myself. Which is what I did for the first time today. (Yum!)

Unsurprisingly, my homemade tots didn’t turn out like Ore-Ida’s lovely, golden treats. However, they were pretty gosh-darn delicious, if I do say so myself. And my housemate (who has never had a tater tot before) thought they were pretty nice, too. Importantly, they were fairly easy to make (in the grand scheme of things). Even more importantly, these are way healthier than store-bought and a bit cheaper, too.

Next time around, I will use a little less salt. And I will also attempt at finely dicing the potatoes, rather than grating them as I did this time around. I also need to figure out a way to get the outside crispier. The answer to that might be to oven-bake them after frying (either fresh or frozen). I have frozen a dozen from this batch to test that theory and will update once I know how it worked out.

I’ve decided to share photos from my first attempt, instead of my perfected recipe. After all, we all have to start somewhere! And once I get them perfected, I’ll be able to make homemade tater tot casserole. I am really, really looking forward to that day!

The recipe I “created” for these was based on more than a dozen recipes I found when I Googled “homemade tater tots”. But, as generally happens, no single recipe seemed right for my needs so I needed to adapt things for my own use. Here’s my recipe, with photos to follow.

Tasty tots

  • 2 pounds baking potatoes (Russets are best, but not available in the UK)
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch (UK: Corn flour)
  • 2 teaspoons salt (I will use less next time)
  • Fresh-ground black pepper to taste
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Steps to tastiness:

  • Peel potatoes and par-boil for about 7 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely grate (or dice).
  • Add cornstarch, salt, and pepper then mix together.
  • Shape mixture into 1 ½ inch cylinders. (This is a messy process, but it gets easier as you go.)
  • Fry a few tots at a time in hot oil for about 3 minutes, turning halfway through to ensure even browning.
  • Place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb oil whilst cooking the remaining tots.
  • Enjoy with some ranch dressing (or condiments of your choice).

* You can also freeze them and reheat them in the oven later, as you would do with store-bought frozen tater tots. (About 450°f for 15 minutes or so.)

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