Roasted Potato and Cheese Tater Tots

Believe it or not-this is not the first time I've shared homemade tater tots on this blog. But they're super different! The last recipe I shared were much closer to traditional 'tots (but baked!), and this recipe's pictures are like a million times better.

But I digress.

What both recipes have in common is that they're healthier than traditional tater tots! And this recipe is so simple to make. The ingredients list is beautifully short. We're highlighting the delicious potato flavors and just enhancing it with some cheese and scallions (I love scallions so much, btw.)

And that's it: no breading, no frying, very little fat. And they're pretty.

Something that would be sort of fun to do if you were serving these tots to a group would be to have a bunch of different dipping sauces: maybe ketchup, ranch, sour cream, garlic aioli, etc. etc. you can get totally creative!

...now I'm regretting that I didn't make some kind of roasted garlic dipping sauce for these...

well...guess it's time for another batch!

 Roasted Potato and Cheese Tater Tots

From Home Cooking Adventure

Makes 28-38 tots.

Ingredients:

• 650g (about 4 medium sized) red or Russet potatoes
• 3/4 cup hard cheese (such as cheddar) grated (I used a shredded combo of Monterey, Colby, and cheddar)
• 2 scallions/green onions, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• olive oil (or truffle olive oil), for drizzling

Preparation:

• Scrub potatoes well (leave the skin on) and place in a large pot. Just cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and boil until they're tender. Remove from water and set aside to cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 450F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Once cooled, use your hands to peel the skin of the potatoes. Then, using the big holes on a box grater, grate the potatoes into a medium bowl.
• Add cheese, onions, salt and pepper to the potatoes and toss to combine.
• Use your hands to form tbsp. sized pieces of this mixture into little cylinders/tots. Place on the baking sheet and repeat until all the potato mixture is used.
• Drizzle oil on top of the formed tots. 
• Bake 15 minutes, flip the tater tots over, bake for an additional 15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
• Serve with favorite sauce/condiment (or plain)! If reheating leftovers, simply pop into a 300 degree oven until crisped/warmed through (about 10 minutes?)

Can you smell it? Can you taste it? mmmm I can.