You’d THINK there’d be a million and one recipes for tater tots, online. Wrong. I was quite surprised and was really looking forward to making the tasty buggers. So, I had to improvise.

Potatoes, seasoning, something to bind the precious mixture and very hot oil. Sounds simple, right? Well it was…insanely simple.

The first step is to peel and par-boil the potatoes. You want them still quite firm but not impossible to pierce with a knife.

Boil them whole, as it makes them much easier to grate. As soon as they’re finished, drain the water, return them to the pan and return the pan to the burner, for a minute or two. This helps get rid of any extra moisture.

Using your food processor, with the grater attachment, (or a box grater), grate the potatoes, when they’re cool enough to handle.

Now, it’s time for some seasoning.

Carefully mix the seasonings and potatoes. You want this evenly distributed. Time to crack and whisk an egg. Add it to the potatoes and continue mixing.

You form them similar to meatballs. I’ve seen other sites where they put the potato mixture in Saran wrap and roll it into a log and then cut it, like gnocchi. Whatever you prefer!

Fry them in batches, as you don’t want the oil to cool down too much.

Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes, peeled and boiled until they can barely be pierced by a knife
1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 tablespoon of salt
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil

Heat the oil to 360-375°.

Grate the potatoes and add the seasonings. When slightly cooled add the beaten egg.

Form 2 ounce balls of the mixture.

Drop 5-6 in 4”’ of oil, at a time. Check after 1 minute and remove when golden brown (3-4 minutes).

Drain on paper towels. Continue with the remaining tots.

When all are cooked, add them back to the oil, in batches, for just another minute. This second fry will quickly brown the tots so watch the batches, very carefully.

Lightly salt each batch.

Dipping sauces vary. If you’re a fan of chipotle peppers, use two tablespoons of sauce for every 4 tablespoons of sour cream.

Ketchup is my go-to. 🙂