5 Ingredients or Fewer

Hand-Formed Parmesan Tater Tots

November 18, 2013
4
2 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

For a reason I can't talk about here -- envision four men loose in San Francisco at a friend's bachelor party! -- I've been thinking about tater tots.

Recipes I found varied from using mashed potatoes rolled in potato chips (ummm...no thanks!) to using shredded potatoes.

Then I received a 5-pound bag of freshly-dug red potatoes from BlackGold Farms as a thank you for participating in a week-long event that involved over 30 bloggers and 115 recipes. So, I took it as a sign to get cooking...and experimenting with homemade tater tots. —CamillaMMann

Test Kitchen Notes

The parmesan and garlic make for a tasty take on tater tots. I mashed up the roasted garlic to make a paste that would more easily distribute in the potato mixture, and I found that a quick spritz of olive oil from the oil mister helped to brown the tots (but they taste great either way). This would be a great project to do with kids, who would have fun shaping their very own tater tots. I sure did! —vvvanessa

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 large red potatoes (1 1/2 pounds)
  • 2 cloves of roasted garlic
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 dash freshly ground sea salt
  • Olive oil for greasing pan
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
  2. Scrub the potatoes clean and roast until they are fork tender. Cool them rapidly by plunging them in ice water. Change the water, and repeat, until the potatoes are cool.
  3. Shred the potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. You can peel them first; I didn't.
  4. Place the other ingredients into the bowl with the grated potatoes and use a fork to fully combine everything.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and rub it with a layer of olive oil.
  6. Preheat oven to 425° F.
  7. Using about a teaspoon of the potato mixture, form it into a cylinder about 1 inch long. Place on baking sheet and repeat until all the tots are made.
  8. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes, turning once about 20 minutes into the cooking time.
  9. Serve hot with ketchup.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • RavensFeast
    RavensFeast
  • Buzz
    Buzz
  • randyrmarks
    randyrmarks
  • Ladystiles
    Ladystiles
  • Kim Steffen
    Kim Steffen

53 Reviews

RavensFeast November 16, 2018
Absolutely delicious! A bit painstaking in preparation but given a lazy Sunday, a fun and very tasty project.
 
Buzz October 16, 2017
have made these using re-hydrated hash browns---works great--even have mixed in some sharp cheddar on occasion
 
randyrmarks March 30, 2017
Really great. I used mashed garlic confit and they were luscious. Thanks.
 
Ladystiles December 17, 2015
These are really wonderful. Simple and delicious.
 
Kim S. August 10, 2015
Another Food52 masterpiece. I used russets and Pecorino Romano because it's what I had. They were fun to make and cooked perfectly. My co-workers are going to demand them every week. Sigh. :)
 
Douglas B. February 16, 2015
Like candy !
 
Douglas B. January 1, 2015
these were super yummy. I failed to oil the wax paper. They stuck so be sure to oil under theses tots !!!
 
pennyolsen October 23, 2014
What about panko crumbs? Thanks.
 
chez_mere October 23, 2014
That should work as a binder, but you might want to add a pinch more salt to make up for the lack of cheese. I'd also start out with only 1/3 c. of panko and see how it holds together (the full 1/2 c. may make it too dry). Hope it works out!
 
pennyolsen October 23, 2014
Love to make these without parmesan.......need a dairy free substitute. Please suggest. Thanks.
 
chez_mere October 23, 2014
I'd use nutritional yeast! It will add the same type of savory note and should help bind the mixture as well. I suppose you could look for a soy-based parmesan cheese as well, but I've never tried any and can't speak for their flavor
 
mlsparks May 6, 2014
These are wonderful!! Made them tonight, I had some chicken wings baking as well, and so I roasted the tots for the same amount of time as those (approx 45 min) and they were so crunchy and delicious. YUM!! Great Recipe, Thank you!!!
 
cathymartin March 19, 2014
I think the choice of reds over russets is correct; the russets are mealy and would fall apart instead of shredding. Reds and Yukon golds have a more waxy texture and hold their shape better! Just a guess--I'll have to experiment to see if my premise holds up!
 
Cindy A. March 16, 2014
Made these tonight- delicious! The only changes I made were boiling and then mashing the potatoes instead of roasting, and I baked them at 375 rather than 400 because they were with other dishes in the oven. Fluffy, nicely browned, and very tasty! I froze half of the little unbaked tots, and then bagged them for next time.
 
charles H. January 11, 2014
lol I cut up raw potatoes and bake the in olive oil salt pepper and garlic and a couple of other spices makes an excellent side dish for my Charlie's chicken
 
Karen O. January 11, 2014
OH, these really look good...could eat a whole bunch RIGHT NOW
 
tim January 11, 2014
about how long do you roast the potatoes ?
 
Debby January 11, 2014
Wait. I get it now. 400 to bake the potatoes and 425 for the tater tots. Sorry....Senior moment.
 
CamillaMMann January 11, 2014
Yes, you got it!
 
Debby January 11, 2014
These sound great & I want to try them, but see items #1 and #6 in this recipe. Should the oven be at 400 or 425? Thanks.
 
Samuel N. January 11, 2014
This is perfect! I could make all the apps for a football game, but these take center stage
 
Carmen January 6, 2014
These are so so good. These are a new addition to our side dishes. Love that my kiddos are able and interested to help make these.
Great recipe...thanks!
 
Millie |. December 25, 2013
They look delicious! Will definitely make these :)
 
Willow December 20, 2013
I'll let you know how it goes!
 
SharonKay December 15, 2013
Do they have to be red potatoes or will russets work? I can't make it to the store today and want these now!
 
CamillaMMann December 17, 2013
Sorry for the late reply, Sharon. I am certain that other potatoes would work. I just happened to have red ones in my potato bin. Experiment away!
 
Patti January 12, 2014
I made these today and did roll into a rope and cut. It was easy. But, when I baked them, the tots flattened like a potato pancake! They tasted great though. I did cut the recipe in half. Do you think I needed more cheese or less to hold the tot shape?
 
rmullins January 13, 2014
Happened to me as well.
 
rmullins January 13, 2014
Oh, let me add that I used potatoes that had already been previously mashed with butter added to them. I suspect the butter is what made them fall apart.
 
TheFarmGirlCooks December 11, 2013
This recipe will surely be shared with my farm's CSA members. It's gonna be a long holiday break from school and idle kids' hands need some work to do.... Thanks!
 
chocolatesushi December 11, 2013
What binds the potato together? Seems like it would just fall apart. I would love to try these if I thought it would work.
 
CamillaMMann December 11, 2013
I have made these almost a dozen times. And they do not fall apart. I would guess the starch in the potatoes and the cheese hold them together.
 
chocolatesushi December 11, 2013
Good to know. i am definitely going to give these a try. :)
 
RavensFeast December 11, 2013
These look so good. Is there any reason you're quickly cooling the potatoes after roasting them by plunging in an ice bath? Does the quick chill affect the texture or is it to simply get on with the recipe faster?
 
CamillaMMann December 11, 2013
The latter. I'm sure you can roast, let cool naturally, and proceed.
 
rmullins December 11, 2013
what if you rolled them into a long rope and then cut them into tots using a bench scraper for a more conventional look? would that work?
 
CamillaMMann December 11, 2013
I'm sure that would be fine! If you try it, let me know how it goes.
 
Patti January 12, 2014
I made these today. I did roll into a rope and cut. It worked fine. But, when I baked them they flattened like a potato pancake!! Since it's just me I had cut the recipe in half. Maybe I needed less cheese? Even flat they were great!
 
emcsull December 11, 2013
perhaps I am a philistine, but what if I just boil potatoes in their jackets and let them cool, is that acceptable ? Will it change the texture too much ?
 
CamillaMMann December 11, 2013
Boiling would work. Whether this has any basis in reality, or not, I think roasting brings out a deeper flavor than just boiling. But, texture-wise, it should be fine.
 
Hope :. December 9, 2013
Ahh! Sign me up. And congrats on your Community Pick! :)
 
Muse December 7, 2013
Congratulations on your Community Pick...these sound absolutely delicious! Peace, Light and Love.
 
CamillaMMann December 17, 2013
Thank you very much!
 
foxeslovelemons December 5, 2013
Congrats on the CP! These look totally crave-able.
 
Alexandra V. December 5, 2013
congrats!
 
chez_mere December 5, 2013
Nice! No copious amount of oil to deal with :)
 
CamillaMMann December 11, 2013
I know! That's what I love about this recipe.
 
KLCannaday December 5, 2013
Not sure what intrigues me more... the bachelor party story or the tots recipe. That said, these look awesome! Can't wait to try them out!
 
CamillaMMann December 17, 2013
Ha! I wasn't privy to the entire bachelor party story either, but I loved that it inspired this dish.
 
Brussels S. December 5, 2013
These look awesome. I'll be testing these out this winter!
 
CamillaMMann December 17, 2013
Fantastic! Do let me know how you like them.
 
Willow December 20, 2013
Camilla... can you make these a day before and freeze? if so at what point should I freeze?
 
CamillaMMann December 20, 2013
I have never done that. But I would say form and then freeze. Once you're ready, defrost and bake. That's my best guess.