I don’t know what it is about tater tots that are so delectable, but I know that I am completely under their spell. My husband will often get a craving for tater tots and he’ll run to the store and buy the frozen ones in the big red bag. You know the ones I’m talking about. They’re laced with preservatives and full of grease. They also taste like my childhood so I am always jealous when he eats these. I try my best to avoid them because they don’t fit into my lifestyle, so I decided to try to make my own.
I’m pretty happy with how they came out. I may update this recipe at some point, but I’m happy enough with the recipe to share it. To be completely honest with you, this recipe takes some time to complete. It’s not a 30 minute meal by any means. If you’re like me, you don’t mind spending some extra time in the kitchen to make something that is really yummy.
These tater tots have one ingredient. Can you guess what it is?
Potatoes! I had an almost full bag of gold yukons that I used. There were four pounds of potatoes total.
First thing you’ll want to do is peel the potatoes. Normally I would peel them before cooking them, but I decided to try the “boil THEN peel” method today. If you want to do it this way, score a line around the center of the potatoes and then boil for 15 minutes. Next drain the potatoes, wait for them to cool and pull the skins off. The skins are supposed to come off easily, but I struggled a little with mine. As you can see from the picture above, they weren’t completely smooth when I was done with them. Next time I’ll just peel them before I boil them.
Once the potatoes are peeled and boiled, you’ll want to grate them. I used a large double sided cheese grater to complete this. Then I moved the grated potatoes to a large bowl.
Next form the grated potato pieces into tater tot shapes and place on a baking pan lined with a aluminum foil. You can use a non-stick mat for the baking, but make sure it is safe for broiling. I use a Silpat that I got from Amazon.com, but I remove it before broiling. If you choose to use parchment paper, remove it before broiling as it will burn from the high heat.
Place the tater tots into an oven heated to 450 F. Bake them for 15 minutes, then flip them [carefully] and bake for another 15 minutes. At this point the tater tots are done, but they won’t be very golden brown because we didn’t use any oil. To make them a little more crispy and golden brown, set your broiler to high and broil for 8 minutes, them carefully flip them and broil for another 8 minutes. 
The broiling is what gives them the color and the bite that are synonymous with tater tots.
See? I told you it was a lengthy process, but totally worth it in the end. These babies really hit the spot without any of the guilt.
Fat-free Tater Tots
INGREDIENTS
- 4 Pounds of yukon golden potatoes
DIRECTIONS
- Peel potatoes and place into a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Allow potatoes to boil for 15 minutes.
- Drain water from potatoes and allow them to cool before handling.
- Once the potatoes are cool, use a cheese grater to grate them. Place the grated potatoes into a large bowl.
- Heat oven to 450 F.
- Form the grated potatoes into tater tot shapes and place onto a baking sheet covered with a non-stick mat or parchment paper.
- Bake the tater tots for 15 minutes, then flip them and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Set the oven to broil on high.
- Broil the tater tots for 8 minutes, then flip them and broil for another 8 minutes.
- Allow to cool for a couple of minuted before eating.
Serve them with ketchup and a large salad.
You can also freeze the pre-baked tater tots after they are formed. Just remove them from the freezer and bake according to the instructions above.
Amber & Coriander 