Fry

Chive Tater Tots with Green Onion Ketchup

by:
April 20, 2012
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves a pile of tots
Author Notes

We have chives growing, I mean a LOT of chives. They were all well behaved in their pot a few years ago then I let them bloom and the seeds went everywhere and now we are just this side of being industrial sized chive farmers. Chives in the ground, chives in every flower pot, chives for the neighbors. So - chives and ... well I won't tell you all the brain bunny trails that led me to yell TATER TOTS rather loudly and somewhat out of the blue at the kitchen table. And then green onion ketchup was just another hippity hop down that same trail. Plus, really, who doesn't like tater tots? If you say you don't well, frankly, I do not believe you. I did a lot of compare and contrast for the launching point - Cooks' County tots, Aaron McCardle from Food Network's tots, and a number of ketchup recipes. Pull what look like the best ideas, add onions, cook, devour! —aargersi

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Green Onion Ketchup
  • 1 - 28 ounces can San Marzano tomatoes with juice
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped green onion
  • Chive Tater Tots
  • 4 cups Idaho potato - peeled and in a 1/2 " dice
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1 + 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup minced chives
  • vegetable oil for frying
Directions
  1. Green Onion Ketchup
  2. Heat the oil in a saucepan to medium. Add the spices and toast them for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes more, then add the onions and cook for a couple minutes more again. Add the salt and tomatoes, then sugar and vinegar.
  3. Let this mixture simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring and mashing the tomatoes a bit as you go. After about a half hour I blended with an immersion blender to see thickness and test for salt - if you don't have an immersion blender you should get one but until then, carefully transfer to a blender or processor and blend until smooth, then back to the pot to reduce down to the thickness of ketchup. Taste for salt.
  4. Once you have the ketchup nice and thick and smooth, allow it to cool for awhile. Transfer it back to the blender and blend those green onions in. This goes in the fridge until you start frying tots. It is way more than you need for the tots so yay! You can use it for other stuff!
  1. Chive Tater Tots
  2. Put the potatoes, water and 1 tsp salt in the food processor. Pulse until it is coarsely chopped - you want texture, not a puree. Turn the mixture out onto a clean tea towel, roll it up and wring the moisture out. Wring hard. Put the mixture in a big bowl and put the tea towel in the wash.
  3. Line a 9x9 square pan with foil. Mix the flour, 1/2 tsp salt , pepper and soda into the potatoes. Whisk the egg and stir that in, then fold in the chives. Press the mixture into the pan - I used a spatula to smooth the top and tidy up the edges. Put the pan in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour.
  4. Fry time! Put a sheet pan in the oven and turn it to 200 (unless you intend to eat as you fry which honestly is a terrific idea) Your oil should be deep enough to float a tot, and between 375 - 400 degrees. I have a fry-daddy thing that makes this super easy. (I am gadget-y - Alton Brown would go apoplectic if he saw all of my stuff). Cover a plate with paper towels for draining.
  5. Get the tots out of the freezer. Cut them into about 1" squares. They might seem kind of soft and juicy, but they get it together in the oil. On a few I had to give them a little manual assist on the edges. Use a spatula to scoop them up 4 - 5 at a time and lower them into the oil. Fry them until they are brown and crunchy. Remove them to the paper towels, then either to the oven or straight into your face after a quick stop at the ketchup bowl.
  6. Oh a note on the ketchup - I took it out of the fridge before I started frying so it would not be ice cold on the nice hot tots. Oh and also I tried some tots seasoned with salt after frying and some not - the seasoned ones were a bit too salty for us but try one and see what your preference is.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Niknud
    Niknud
  • Cheri Mayell
    Cheri Mayell
  • vvvanessa
    vvvanessa
  • enbe
    enbe
  • Devangi Raval
    Devangi Raval
aargersi

Recipe by: aargersi

Country living, garden to table cooking, recent beek, rescue all of the dogs, #adoptdontshop

24 Reviews

Niknud September 22, 2015
How did I miss this in all the years I've been on F52? And I've got loads and loads of 2-3 foot high chive plants that rival only the sage in indestructability (I may have just made that word up). BTW, you should check out Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Chive Blossom Vinegar recipe (google it) if you want something fun to do with all those plants. From someone who feels your pain on this.....
 
Cheri M. June 28, 2015
Intrigued, what is a fry daddy, we do not have in the UK, only fry Mummy! Ha!
 
Cheri M. June 27, 2015
These sound Devine especially with friends for nibbles, but I thought filling an open pan with deep oil in the oven sounds lethal!, would you put them all in?
 
aargersi June 27, 2015
I worked in batches ... a frydaddy would make it even easier! But pan frying then holding in the oven works fine.
 
vvvanessa November 19, 2013
Oh, fun! I am itching to make these now.
 
enbe November 19, 2013
Tater tots are my not-so-secret favorite obsessive guilty pleasure. I keep looking for recipes to try to make them. This may happen this weekend. Thanks :)
 
Devangi R. April 26, 2012
This looks so amazing..I have so many things my list to try..
 
fiveandspice April 24, 2012
TATER TOTS!!! Yes. Maybe I'll be all Minnesotan and make this and put them into hot dish. ;) I somehow managed to almost do in our chive crop after last year. I didn't think it was possible. But, they are not wanting to come up this spring. I strongly feel you should lend me some of yours. I absolutely love chives.
 
aargersi April 25, 2012
Come down here! I will fill your pockets and dinner and everything else with chives. They are everywhere and I noticed 2 have gone to seed already this spring!
 
Anitalectric April 24, 2012
These look so yummy!
 
wssmom April 23, 2012
You had me at green onion ketchup ....
 
aargersi April 24, 2012
It turns out to be a great grilled meat marinade too!!!
 
creamtea April 23, 2012
3 cheers for this!
 
aargersi April 24, 2012
:-) Thanks! I sent you a message about the bowl ...
 
LeBec F. April 22, 2012
well this is sure to be a CP or winner. terrific!
 
inpatskitchen April 22, 2012
Oh Wow!! Tots are a childhood favorite...and these are so "grown up"!!
 
arielleclementine April 21, 2012
what the what?!! you're amazing and i love this!!
 
aargersi April 21, 2012
:-) I did RESEARCH and everything! Aren't you proud?
 
arielleclementine April 21, 2012
haha!! i saw that! delicious delicious research...
 
mrslarkin April 21, 2012
We luv tots! i have an embarrassment of gadgets, too. Been holding out for the Fry Daddy, but this just might send me over the edge.
 
drbabs April 21, 2012
Home made tater tots? Seriously? You are the best!
 
La452 April 21, 2012
Thanks Dr B - seriously! And way tasty too ... no more Sonic! (No More IHop!)
 
aargersi April 21, 2012
whoops - I logged in as Mr L
 
hardlikearmour April 21, 2012
Yum to tots!