Tater Tots

By Mark Bittman

Updated April 24, 2017

  • Craig Lee for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(363)
Comments
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There's no need to peel the new potatoes for these otherwise labor-intensive tots, which are little short of a revelation. Serve with ketchup, of course.

Featured in: Yukon Gold Standard

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Ingredients

Yield:About 40 tots

  • 2 pounds new potatoes, left unpeeled

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon pepper

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • Canola or other neutral oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

4 grams carbs; 21 calories; 1 gram fiber; 49 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Scrub potatoes and cut into large chunks. Place in a medium pot covered with cold water and bring to a boil. Parboil potatoes until tender, drain them and let them cool slightly. Grate potatoes in a food processor, then squeeze out excess liquid.

  2. Step 2

    Place potatoes in a large bowl and use a light hand to mix with cornstarch, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

  3. Step 3

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, add canola oil to a depth of ½ inch in a heavy-bottomed skillet set over medium heat.

  4. Step 4

    When oil is hot, form thumb-size balls of the potato mixture and fry until golden, about 15 seconds per side.

  5. Step 5

    Drain on paper towels, and let tots cool. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet, transfer to oven and bake until crisp, about 10 to 20 minutes, turning once.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
363 user ratings
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Comments

Barbara

The original article has one small additional step: after the parboil and grating, squeeze out excess liquid.

Shiphrah

In my experience, potato starch rather than corn starch leads to a particularly crispy fried product.

Emily Weinstein, Deputy Food Editor

Thanks — we've added that to the recipe here.

Jim

It would seem that the secret sauce is in the extent of the parboil. Clearly over-cooking is bad, but does anyone have successful guidance to share? Starting with fist-sized potatoes cut into quarters….

Andrew

I was very happy with this recipe. It's very good, even without the garlic powder. I want to try using only the air fryer next time: shape processed par boiled potato into palm sized patties, chill in fridge to set shape, then lightly coat in grapeseed oil before putting it in the air fryer on roast setting at 420° for 25 minutes

Brooke

This recipe was a mess for me. Not sure where I went wrong, but it took a terrible turn when I tried to roll up the tots into a log. It stuck to everything - my hands, my hair, the cabinets as stuff flung around. They fell apart in the fryer and I almost cried. But they did taste good. Just looked more like blown up hashbrowns than tater tots.

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