You know those people who get sick of eating French fries or potatoes? Yeah, I am not one of them. And I especially love tater tots. I don’t know what it is about them that gets me so excited, but it’s like an addiction. I should also say, I equally love high end homemade tots and the plain old frozen ones from Trader Joe’s. They are crunchy, creamy, crispy and cute. And I can’t get enough.
When I saw Tasting Table’s recent recipe for hot dog tater tots, I knew right away I needed to Nosh-ify them: with pastrami of course.
My 4 year old daughter (and biggest critic) saw them cooling on the counter, she couldn’t wait to dig in. She exclaimed “oh my gosh mom – these are so so delicious! They are like a creamy, crunchy potato thingie!” And I knew I had attained tot success.
Pastrami Tater Tots
Ingredients
2 large russet potatoes
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 lb pastrami
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1-2 cups panko bread crumbs
Directions
Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel and cube potatoes.
Cook potatoes until tender, around 8-10 minutes. Drain and add to a large bowl and mash.
In a skillet over medium heat, crisp up each piece of pastrami in batches, cooking 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and dice finely.
Add mayo, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper to potato mixture. Mix in diced pastrami.
Prep your dredging station. Place flour in one bowl, two beaten eggs in the second bowl and panko crumbs in a third bowl.
Form tater tots into 1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces and place on a baking sheet. Dredge tots into flour, then egg then panko and place onto baking sheet. Pop into freezer for 30 minutes or in the fridge for 1 hour.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry each tot until golden brown on the outside and remove from pan. Place onto a baking sheet or platter lined with paper towel. Sprinkle with salt while still hot.
Serve with preferred dipping sauce. Recipe yields around 3 dozen.
