Teenie Tiny Tater Tots
Tater tots are one of those things we genuinely couldn't believe we'd gone so long without making at home. These little crispy potato nuggets are absolute gold, with a crunchy outside, fluffy and soft middle, and they're completely impossible to stop eating. We serve them with our homemade Tommy K (that's ketchup, but better) and honestly it takes the whole thing to another level. If you've got mates coming over or you just fancy a proper fun side dish tonight, this is the one to make.
Before You Start
- Blender
- Large pan for boiling potatoes
- Tea towel
- Large mixing bowl
- Frying pan (5cm deep oil capacity)
- Plate lined with kitchen paper
- Saucepan
- Potatoes soaked & boiled 6–7 minutes, then cooled
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion granules
- ¼ tsp Italian herbs
- 1kg Maris Piper potatoes
- Salt & pepper to taste
- tbsp vegetable oil for deep frying
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 350g Passata
- 60g brown sugar
- 75ml malt vinegar
- chives for garnish - optional
- ½ cayenne pepper
Method
Make the Tommy K
- Peel and finely dice the onion
- Peel and grate the garlic cloves
- Pour the oil into the hot saucepan
- Add the onions and stir-fry for 7-10 minutes, until golden brown
- Add the garlic, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, whole cloves and passata and stir for another 4-5 minutes
- Add the sugar and vinegar and stir until the sugar is dissolved
- Cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes
- Take off the heat and leave to cool to room temperature
- Transfer to a blender and whizz until completely smooth
Meanwhile, prepare the potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and put them in a large pan
- Cover with cold water, bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 6–7 minutes
- Drain and leave to steam dry
- Lay the tea towel out on the kitchen counter and grate the cooled potatoes into the middle of the towel
- Bring up the corners of the towel and squeeze out as much water as you can
Shape the Tater Tots
- Put the grated potatoes, flour, garlic powder, onion granules, Italian herbs, salt and pepper into a bowl and work them with your hands to combine
- Squeeze the potatoes into stubby 2cm tube shapes
Fry the tater tots
- Pour the oil into the frying pan until it’s 5cm deep
- Put the pan over a medium heat and heat to 180ºC or until the oil sizzles around the edges when you dip in a wooden spoon
- Add 5 Tater Tots to the pan and fry for 4–5 minutes, until golden and crispy
- Transfer to the lined plate to drain
- Repeat until all the Tater Tots are cooked
Time to serve
- Season the Tater Tots with salt and pepper
- Garnish with fresh chives, if using, and serve immediately with the Tommy K on the side
Tips & Variations
- Get them really dry: Squeeze the grated potato in a clean tea towel as hard as you can. The more moisture you remove, the crispier your tots will be. This is the step that makes the biggest difference.
- Make the Tommy K ahead: The homemade ketchup actually tastes even better the next day once the flavours have had time to come together, so it's great to batch-make it in advance and keep it in the fridge.
- Air fryer option: We love doing these in the air fryer if you've got one. Cook at 200°C for around 15 to 18 minutes, giving the basket a shake halfway through. They come out incredibly crispy with less oil.
Why This Works
The trick is getting as much moisture out of the grated potato as possible before you shape them. The drier the potato, the crispier the tot. We also find that chilling them before cooking helps them hold their shape and gives you that satisfying crunch all the way round. Trust us on this one, it's worth the extra few minutes.