TASTY TATER TOTS

In my continuing quest to find exciting ways to jazz up dinner time potatoes I think I may of hit upon the finest potato based creation yet. Ladies and gentleman I bring you my totally tasty tater tots. Deep fried potato which has been seasoned with a hint of spice, these golden and crispy bad boys with there little fluffy insides will be a hit on any dinner table up and down the land. They require a tad more work than lobbing a jacket potato in the oven for your tea but effort is totally worth it once you take that first delicious bite!

In my tots I've added a smidge of paprika  and garlic salt to give them a flavor pop. This is merely a suggestion. You can just season the potatoes with salt and pepper if you want to make a naked tater tot or you can mix it up with some dried herbs for maybe even some dried chili flakes to give them a spicy kick. Experiment and find your favorite tater tot flavor.

Now for your potato you want a nice hard floury potato such as a Maris piper. Don't go for something soft and flimsy like a sweet potato or they will just fall apart. They should be medium sized too, between a jersey royal and a jacket potato. When you boiling the potatoes you want them to be just tender, soft enough to stick a knife through but still with some resistance. If your knife slides straight through them then you run the risk of the tots falling apart when you get them. Keep an eye on them and keep testing every five minutes until they are just right!

Remember to be careful with that hot vegetable oil as well and keep a damp tea towel to hand in case of an emergency. Your oil should be at 180 degrees so get hold of your cooking thermometer to help you know when you have the right amount of heat or if you don't have one then throw in a few breadcrumbs and they should instantly fizz and go brown within 30 seconds.

Let's get too it. With this recipe you should be able to roll out around 20 tots so work towards that number when your rolling them out.

Tater Tots

5 Unpeeled Medium Potatoes

125g Plain Flour

1 Beaten Whole Egg

1 Tsp Garlic Salt

1 Tsp Smoked Paprika

Salt And Pepper To Season

Lots Of Vegetable Oil For Frying

1. Place the potatoes whole into a large pan of boiling water and then simmer them until tender (see advice above). Drain and then pass them through a ricer or mash until smooth.
2. Add the flour, egg, garlic salt, paprika and season with salt and pepper and then mix until well combined. The potatoes should become thicker and mouldable.
3. Using dry hands, roll out the potato mix into thumb sized little sausage shapes. You should get around 20 out of the mix, less than 15 and you have made them too big!
4. Place the tots onto a plate and into the fridge to cool whilst you begin to warm up the oil. Your oil should around 1-2 inches deep and reach 180 degrees before you start frying.
5. Remove the tots from the fridge and fry them in batches of no more than 6 in the oil, turning them after around 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy all over. Remove each batch of tots from the oil once golden and drain them on kitchen paper to remove any excess oil. 

The tots should stay nice and hot whilst you prepare the remaining batch but if you like you can pop them in a warm oven just to keep them toasty whilst you finish the rest off. 

Serve the tots as soon as they are all fried so that you retain optimum crispy outsides and fluffy middles. Be careful when you bite into them as they can be piping hot inside. 

Perfect served as a side and dipped in tomato ketchup, kids and grown ups alike are going to go bonkers for these tasty tater tots.