tater tots
Ok, so I just posted a question about what to serve with sloppy joe, and it seems like everyone is on board with tater tots. BUT, I still feel a little guilty buying a bag of processed food like that! It's been forever since I've bought something like that pre-made.
Is there a way to replicate tater tots in a homemade way, or is that just one of those things that is only good as a junk food?
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12 Comments:
I think it's best to stick with the packaged variety. If you're really against it, you might want to check out the natural foods section. I bought an organic version (Organic Valley brand?) a few years back, and they were pretty tasty and didn't have any weird ingredients.
As an alternative you could serve roasted potato wedges.
Kerosena at 11:20AM on 07/24/09
Michel Richard has a recipe for something very like tater tots--I have not made them, only eaten them--tasty, but pretty labor intensive. I think I'd just go for the pre-made, but then I have no objection to an occasional Tator Tot indulgence...
Lilla at 11:33AM on 07/24/09
maybe you could just make silver-dollar sized potato pancakes.
andshewas at 11:34AM on 07/24/09
i think it'd be a pretty big pain in the ass to try to replicate store bought tater tots, but i love the ideas eveyone else has given-particularly the silver dollar pancakes! Manischewitz makes a box of potato pancake mix that's pretty good and is easy to make..that could be a possibility? (they have all natural ingredients, no msg, and are certified kosher for passover) now i'm all hungry for them-ha ha.
gastronomeg at 11:45AM on 07/24/09
@andshewas - that was going to be my suggestion! no fair! haha
they're quite nice if you shred your potatoes, add flavouring, roll in balls, pre-fry and then bake. I dip'em in my signature mayo and curry-ketchup mixture....m....
hungrychristel at 12:30PM on 07/24/09
Dear Nalega..........since your party is for kids, I would go with tater tots. Your own children are probably use to healthy varieties, but trust me if you want the kids to eat your food, don't fuss too much, they won't appreciate it and won't eat it if it looks different....not all kids, but why take chances. Now you could go for a jello salad as another side with your sloppy joes, or a nice healthy fruit salad, or just fruit, with a dip, if you want a veggie you could try veggies and ranch dip or celery with peanut butter. Kids love dip and dipping foods. coco
cocoloco at 1:22PM on 07/24/09
You can do this a couple of ways...
Grate the potatoes, squeeze out moisture, season, chop and form into small balls, freeze and then deep fry.
Or, buy the grated hash brown potatoes and save a step.
If you have a Fresh Market or Whole Foods in your area, they should carry an organic version of Tater Tots.
I haven't eaten Tater Tots in years...we found several pieces of glass in our package once. When we contacted the company, they apologized and sent us coupons for free Tots. Needless to say, we never redeemed the coupons, and haven't purchased them since.
I can't eat them now, anyhow - soy allergy :-(
WickedGoodDinner at 2:00PM on 07/24/09
Some things just cannot be made at home. I've tried many time to make homemade Oreos, Tater Tots, Doritos and Rocky Road ice cream. My versions have been good, but nothing like the mass-produced store-bought kind. I gave up once the kids moved out.
betteirene at 5:19PM on 07/24/09
If you don't want to buy processed tater tots, why don't you just buy some potatoes and make potato wedges with season salt on them? Super easy and tasty.
A cold potato salad would also be good, with something light and fresh like snap peas or something.
xtalcase at 7:38PM on 07/24/09
If you really want to make something from scratch, I think your best bet is to either make homefries, oven roasted potato wedges, or...get ready for it...potato croquettes! There's probably a recipe in Joy or a bazillion online.
wookie at 1:36AM on 07/25/09
It might be worth trying mashed potatoes (without added liquid, besides butter), drying them out, rolling them into balls, then rolling them in seasoned flour, and deep-frying them. I've never tried this, but if I wanted home-made Tots, that's what I'd try. Although I'd probably go with store-bought.
You might try roasted potatoes...peel, quarter and boil potatoes until done, drain them in a colander (and chuck them around!) then put into a pre-heated pan and drizzle with olive oil or duck fat. Using a colander means the potatoes get rough edges and can absorb more of the fat, which makes them crispier. Season with lots of salt and pepper and whatever other spices you want. Bake at the highest heat your stove can manage, and give them a good shake every now and then. You can chuck some diced onions and garlic in as well if you fancy. When they're a golden brown, pull them out, drain the oil, and serve.
NotAmerican at 3:47AM on 07/25/09
Tater tots seem to me like hashbrowns frozen in tot form. You would need to cut the potatoes, cook them slightly, bind them, salt them (we'll call it season them), and mold them. Or make them in potato pancake form. . .
joeqboo at 11:09AM on 07/27/09