Joey: Hey, Monica, I got a question. I don’t see any tater tots.

Monica: That’s not a question.

Joey: But my mom always makes them. It’s like a tradition. You get a little piece of turkey on your fork, a little cranberry sauce, and a tot! It’s bad enough I can’t be with my family because of my disease.

If Joey walked into my kitchen today, he’d be very happy because I have got a tray full of parmesan and crisps encrusted tots for his forkful of Thanksgiving turkey. Welcome to my blog, I love food and making silly F.R.I.E.N.D.S references.

Becoming a parent is the biggest personality change we go through. We start replacing freedom with responsibility. Self-love transforms to another kind of love, love for your offspring. You re-evaluate every choice you make because not only have you been bestowed with the full responsibility of a soul; your actions and values shape your child and their future. So, you start scrutinizing your actions and try to be a better version of your own self, all so that you raise decent compassionate human beings.

I never thought much about food wastage before I became a mom. The pang of guilt that grips your heart as you unwillingly discard leftovers is brutal. For the past few years, I’ve made a strong resolution; transform how I work in the kitchen and reduce food wastage. I had some leftover unseasoned boiled potatoes which I have utilized in this recipe today.

Tater tots are little snacks made of grated potatoes and then deep fried. They are known for their dense cylindrical shape and crispy coating. This version of potato tots is however a little different. I used boiled mashed potatoes, coated them in a mixture of crushed potato chips and grated Parmesan and ultimately baked them instead of deep frying.

Ingredients:

• Boiled Potatoes 4 medium
• Salt to taste
• Pepper ½ tsp
• Mixed Italian herbs ½ tsp
• Garlic powder ½ tsp
• Paprika powder ½ tsp

Coating

• Crushed Potato Chips or Doritos 1 cup
• Panko breadcrumbs 2 tbsp
• Grated Parmesan 2 tbsp

Method

Mash boiled potatoes and season with salt, pepper, Italian herbs, garlic powder and paprika powder.

Oil your hands and using 1 tbsp of mixture per tot shape potato into small cylinders.

Mix crushed chips, breadcrumbs and parmesan in a bowl.

Roll tots in coating mixture and assemble on an aluminium lined baking tray.

Bake tots at 200℃ for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Rotate halfway through so they get even colouring on both sides. Serve with a dip of your choice. We had them with a delicious OPTP style Garlic Sauce.