How to Cook Tater Tots

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients needed to make tater tots:

• 2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks each 1’’ wide.
• ½ tsp granulated sugar
• 2 quarts peanut,canola or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking instructions for tater tots:

• Fill a bowl with cold water to immerse the potatoes in it and work them up for about 10 seconds.
• Pour the water and potatoes into a fine mesh strainer and allow them to drain off any excess water for about 5 minutes.
• Fill a Dutch oven or large wok with any of the three types of oil and heat them over high flame to 350 degrees F.
• Drop the potato chunks and fry them in batches, while stirring them with a wire spider, until they soften and turn golden brown; it will take about 5 minutes.
• Transfer them to a bowl lined with paper towel to drain off excess grease and set aside to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
• Lower the heat of the Dutch oven to low.
• Add ¼ of the fried potatoes to the food processor and pulse them into coarse crumbly mixture, each bit ranging between ¼’’- 1/8’’; it will take about eight 1 second pulses to achieve the desired result.
• Process rest of the potatoes similarly in three more batches and transfer all of them to a large mixing bowl.
• Sprinkle sugar and starch over the potatoes and toss well to mix.
• Season with salt as well as lots of black pepper and stir them all together into a uniform mixture. You can add your favourite seasoning at this point for enhanced flavours.
• Combine the mixture with hands and shape them into small 1’’ cylinders, each about ¾’’ wide.
• Reheat the oil in the Dutch oven to 350 degrees F and plop in the tater tot cylinders.
• Fry them in batches briefly for a minute while stirring them up with a metal spider.
• Adjust the flame to maintain a constant temperature of 350 degrees F and fry for another 4 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
• Trasnfer them to a plate lined with paper towel to soak away extra oil in them and sprinkle more salt on them.
• Serve hot with your favourite dipping sauce or mayonnaise and enjoy!

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on December 19, 2012 by