tater tots Archives - The Candid Appetite

Chicken Pot Pie meets Tater Tot Hotdish, it’s a story we’re all familiar with and if we’re not, it’s about time we get to know this dish and cozy up next to it. Don’t you think? It’s officially chicken pot pie season and even though there are a million incarnations of it out there already….including multiple on this site (Potato Chicken Pot Pie anyone?), the world has just gotten a much needed new take on this classic dish. I recently grabbed myself a copy of Molly Yeh‘s new cookbook Molly on the Range, and let me tell you, it’s filled with great recipes that are easy to make. Some classic dishes with new twists and new dishes we’ve probably never heard of but should most definitely be trying because they’re delicious. This Chicken Pot Tot Hotdish is one of many recipes I was dying to try, including but not limited to, Funfetti Cake, Hummus with Meat All Over It, Happy Pig Pizza Pockets, and Spinach and Feta Rugelach. I figured I’d dive right into that tater tot hotdish first because I basically lived off tater tots as a kid and this brought me all the way back to those days when I crossed my fingers and prayed that tater tots would be on the menu at school every single day. Especially because Molly suggests to eat this Chicken Pot Tot Hotdish with ketchup on the side and nothing screams childhood more than eating tater tots with ketchup, or eating anything with ketchup for that matter.

So whether you’re looking for a quick and easy weeknight dinner that the entire family will love, or you’re just looking for an interesting dish that will be a hit at a party or potluck, this recipe (along with the book) is for you. If you’re like me and have always been wondering how else you can incorporate more tater tots into your daily life, short of just warming up a bag in the oven and eating them all yourself with no regrets, which isn’t a bad idea let me say, at least now we have a valid excuse to stop by the frozen food aisle of the grocery store and grab two bags of frozen tots. One bag for the topping of this dish and one bag for those moments when you need a quick snack. Which for me is always.

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Tater tots are one of those things that if I see on a menu anywhere, and I mean anywhere, you better believe I’ll be ordering them. All bets are off. Give me an order of tots immediately or stand back because someone will get hurt. I don’t know what it is about them exactly, but I lose all control. I think part of it is because I loved tots as a kid. I’m pretty sure every child did. It’s that quintessential kid food, but also another part of it is because they’re fried nuggets of potato. What can be better than that (sorry Ina)? Nothing is better, nothing. Maybe doughnuts. Doughnuts might be better. Now, I’m not a tater tot connoisseur or anything, and I’m definitely not above grabbing a bag of frozen tots from the store. I’ll devour them faster than humanly possible. With that being said though, making these homemade from scratch is like an out-of-body experience. You need to jump on this recipe right away. If I couldn’t tempt you enough with these all by themselves, there’s a nice twist at the end of the post that will be sure to hook you.

I’m teaming up with Idaho Potato to bring you four great new recipes revolving around my all-time favorite vegetable, the potato! Starting in July, all month I’ll be sharing a new recipe a week in partnership with Idaho Potato. There’s something for us to look forward to. In the meantime, I thought sharing this TCA Classics post would be fitting and a great way to get you excited. This is also your chance to catch up on these classic posts from my favorite segment on the site. Take a look back at the previous recipes featured in the archives. Earlier in the week I shared these Chocolate Doughnut Twists and should most definitely add them to your must-make list. Give them and these tots a try this weekend. Might as well, since you’ll have the oil already hot. Make it a fried weekend. Let’s all rejoice!

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