5 Ingredients or Fewer

Hand-Formed Parmesan Tater Tots

by:
November 18, 2013
4
2 Ratings
Hand-Formed Parmesan Tater Tots
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.
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53 Reviews

RavensFeast
RavensFeast November 16, 2018
Absolutely delicious! A bit painstaking in preparation but given a lazy Sunday, a fun and very tasty project.
 
Buzz
Buzz October 16, 2017
have made these using re-hydrated hash browns---works great--even have mixed in some sharp cheddar on occasion
 
randyrmarks
randyrmarks March 30, 2017
Really great. I used mashed garlic confit and they were luscious. Thanks.
 
Ladystiles
Ladystiles December 17, 2015
These are really wonderful. Simple and delicious.
 
Kim S.
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.
Douglas B. February 16, 2015
Like candy !
 
Douglas B.
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
pennyolsen October 23, 2014
What about panko crumbs? Thanks.
 
chez_mere
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
pennyolsen October 23, 2014
Love to make these without parmesan.......need a dairy free substitute. Please suggest. Thanks.
 
chez_mere
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
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
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.
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.
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.
Karen O. January 11, 2014
OH, these really look good...could eat a whole bunch RIGHT NOW
 
tim
tim January 11, 2014
about how long do you roast the potatoes ?
 
Debby
Debby January 11, 2014
Wait. I get it now. 400 to bake the potatoes and 425 for the tater tots. Sorry....Senior moment.
 
CamillaMMann
CamillaMMann January 11, 2014
Yes, you got it!
 
Debby
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.
Samuel N. January 11, 2014
This is perfect! I could make all the apps for a football game, but these take center stage
 
Carmen
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 |.
Millie |. December 25, 2013
They look delicious! Will definitely make these :)