Celebrate National Tater Tot Day With These Recipes

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If you’re into peculiar facts or quirky holidays, here’s a good one for you: Today is National Tater Tot Day. Even if you love tater tots, you might have no clue why there’s a day dedicated to this delicious snack. 

The answer comes from John-Bryan Hopkins, a popular food blogger. Hopkins has created several food-related holidays such as National Oreo Cookie Day, Cupcake Lover’s Day, and today, National Tater Tot Day. If you love tater tots, below are three recipes you can enjoy to celebrate this delightful day.

1. Homemade tater tots

Instead of buying frozen tots, try a classic fresh, homemade tater tot recipe. Boil two pounds of peeled russet potatoes in a large saucepan for approximately six minutes. After boiling your potatoes, drain them, let them cool, and shred them with a cheese grater. Next, dry the potatoes as much as possible with a paper towel or cheesecloth and transfer them to a bowl.

Next, stir in one tablespoon of flour and season the mixture to taste. You can also add half a teaspoon onion powder, one teaspoon of onion powder, a quarter teaspoon each of dill and oregano, and a dash of salt and pepper. 

Form your potatoes into tot shapes and fry five tots at a time in a stockpot or Dutch oven filled with one cup of vegetable oil for approximately three minutes. Lastly, transfer your golden, crispy tater tots to a paper-lined plate and enjoy. You can serve your tots as a side dish, have them as a meal, or use them in other tater tot recipes.

2. Tater tot casserole

If you like dinner casseroles, then you’ll love tater tot casseroles. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, stir and cook one pound of ground beef seasoned with salt and black pepper in a large skillet over medium heat for approximately eight minutes or until the beef is completely browned.

Stir 10 ounces of cream of mushroom soup into the cooked ground beef. Then, pour the beef and soup mixture into a nine-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer 16 ounces of tater tots evenly over the ground beef mixture and top with two cups of cheddar cheese. Bake until the tater tots are golden (approximately 30 minutes) and serve.

3. Tater tot enchilada bake

If you love Mexican-inspired food, cheese, and tater tots, you’ll adore a tater tot enchilada bake. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Next, cook two cups of finely diced onions and two cloves of minced garlic until just tender. Then, transfer the garlic and onion and set them aside. 

Cook one pound of beef until completely browned, stir in half of a pack of taco seasoning, then cook the seasoned beef for another two minutes. Remove the beef from the heat and pat off any excess oil. Stir onions and garlic back into the cooked, seasoned beef. Pour one can of enchilada sauce into the beef and continue cooking for approximately three minutes.

Transfer the enchilada mixture into a nine-by-13-inch baking dish and evenly spread two cups of tater tots on top. On top of the mixture, add one cup of Mexican cheese blend or mozzarella cheese. If you like olives, top the mixture with half a cup of chopped black olives. Bake uncovered until the cheese is bubbling and the tater tots are golden (approximately twenty minutes). Serve and enjoy.

What are your favorite tater tot recipes? Sound off in the comments!