Hand-Formed Parmesan Tater Tots

Frozen tots get a major overhaul in this recipe for made-from-scratch tater tots featuring Parmesan and garlic (and only 3 other ingredients!).

Okay, sure, tater tots aren't exactly the most highbrow of foods. But, just because they aren't the fanciest doesn't mean they aren't delicious. We all (hopefully) have had at least one perfect batch of tater tots -- golden, crispy, and seasoned to perfection.

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Unfortunately, more often than not they are decidedly disappointing -- watery potatoes loosely held together by a soggy crust. Maybe if you're lucky you'll get a sprinkle of salt. Thankfully, the art of making the perfect tater tot from scratch is not esoteric. It's actually surprisingly simple.

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Bake some potatoes, shred them on a box grater, and stir them up with some Parmesan cheese, roasted garlic, and a sprinkle of sea salt. Then hand form them into nuggets and bake them into crispy tot perfection.

Hand-Formed Parmesan Tater Tots by CamillaMMann

Serves 4

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

  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.

Save and print the full recipe on Food52.

Photo by James Ransom

This recipe originally appeared on Food52.com: Hand-Formed Parmesan Tater Tots