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I tried a recipe that calls for tater tots that was really different from others I’ve seen. Most recipes call for placing the tater tots on top of the casserole, but this recipe for Cracked Out Tater Tots has the tater tots mixed in with the other ingredients. This is a pretty good meal, with lots of flavor and pretty easy to make.
CRACKED OUT TATER TOT CASSEROLE
■ 32 oz. tater tots
■ 3 cups cooked chopped chicken
■ 8 oz cream cheese, softened
■ 1 cup sour cream
■ 1 can cream chicken soup
■ 1 pkt Ranch seasoning mix
■ 2 cups shredded Cheddar, divided
■ 1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon
■ 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 dish. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, soup and ranch mix till smooth.
Add the chicken, tater tots, half the cheddar cheese and half the bacon. Spread in the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar and bacon on top.
Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes till bubbly and the tater tots golden brown.
Garnish with green onions and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
When I made this, I used store bought bacon bits. The directions say the tater tots would be golden brown, and even though I baked the dish longer than called for, the taters never did brown. Maybe it’s because I did not thaw the taters before mixing them into the casserole.
I really like tater tots and I wish they were a healthy dish to eat! The tots are made with finely chopped potatoes mixed with flour and seasonings, then baked or deep fried till crispy. They were invented for Ore-Ida back in 1953 as a way to use up leftover potato scraps. We tend to call all these potato nuggets tater tots, but it is a trademark owned by Ore-Ida. In Australia these tots are known as potato gems.
Americans love their tater tots and eat about 70 million pounds of it each year. (that comes out to 3,710,000,000 tots! Who had the job of counting them??) And for you Cardinals fans, here’s more tater tot trivia–Herrison Bader, then a Cardinals outfielder, partnered with Sonic Drive-In to sell “Bader Tots” in St. Louis franchises.
If you have a recipe to share, please send to [email protected] or mail to mascoutah Herald, PO Box C, Mascoutah IL 62258. Thanks and Happy Cooking!
