Loaded Smashed Tater Tots

Here I’ll show you how to serve tater tots in the most delicious way possible!

For my friends here in the UK, we’ll be using mini hash browns, which you can find in many supermarkets and work exactly the same as tater tots.

Smashed Tater Tots

I suppose the question is: ‘Why are we smashing tater tots?’ And it’s a good question. There are in fact two good reasons:

• Crisp – smashing the tater tots increases the surface area and makes them nice and thin. This, in turn, allows them to crisp up even more.
• Surface – increasing the surface area gives us a nice ‘platform’ to load up some toppings, without them falling off.

When I first tested these, I thawed out the mini hash browns, smashed them and baked them with cheese. This worked pretty well, but they were ever-so-slightly crumbly. Instead, I found that smashing them after giving them an initial bake helps them stay intact a little better.

To actually smash them, I typically use a flat measuring cup, but a glass, mug, spatula or anything of that walk of life will work just fine.

Process shots: bake tater tots (photo 1), smash (photo 2), add cheese (photo 3), bake again (photo 4).

Loaded Tater Tots

Now, strictly speaking, you could eat them right away. Crispy, cheesy tater tots? Yep, they’re awesome as they are.

But this is me, so naturally, we are going to take things up a few notches. There are an infinite number of toppings you could go for, but I’ve gone for the classic ‘loaded’ combination:

• Cheddar (already baked on the smashed taters)
• Sour Cream
• Bacon
• Jalapeños (omit if you don’t like spice)
• Chives (can sub spring onion)

How to serve Smashed Tater Tots

These are awesome for so many different occasions. As I type this, we’re in November, so Thanksgiving and Christmas parties are made for these! They’re completely foolproof too and always go down a storm, especially since you can switch up the toppings.

For a potato version of these, check out my Loaded Smashed Potatoes!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these loaded smashed tater tots shall we?!

How to make Loaded Smashed Tater Tots (Full Recipe & Video)

Loaded Smashed Tater Tots

By: Chris Collins

Here I'll show you how to serve tater tots in the most delicious way possible!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 30 tater tots

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Equipment

• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Large Baking Tray (mine is 38cmx30cm / 15"x12")
• Measuring Cup, Mug or other flat object (for smashing tater tots)

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 30x Frozen Tater Tots/Mini Hash Browns (see notes)
• ▢ 50g / 1/2 cup Cheddar, grated (or as needed)
• ▢ 100g / 3.5oz Sour Cream, or as needed
• ▢ 5 slices of Streaky Bacon, cooked, cooled and finely diced
• ▢ 30-45g / 1-1.5oz Pickled Jalapeños, finely diced
• ▢ 1-2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Chives

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Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
• Space out the tater tots/mini hash browns on a large baking tray (keep in mind they'll increase in size once smashed). Bake in the oven for 8 minutes.
• Take the tray out and use a measuring cup, glass, mug, etc, to smash the tater tots until they're thin (but not breaking apart). Top with a small pinch of Cheddar, then bake again for 12-14 minutes, or until they are golden around the outside and visibly crispy. They will crisp up more as they cool.
• Top each one with sour cream, bacon, jalapeños and chives. Tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Tater Tots in the UK – These are typically called ‘Hash Brown Bites’ which you’ll find in the frozen section of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and potentially some other major supermarkets too.

b) Quantities – Just use your best judgment based on how many you want to make and how much of each topping you want. The recipe above is just what I found to be perfect. For reference, 30x mini hash browns were around 320g/11.2oz total.

c) Cooking time – The above cooking times are probably a little longer than suggested on the package. This just ensures they end up extra crispy. They’ll probably differ in size across brands, so just use your best judgment if you need to cook a little longer or for less in order to get them crispy.

d) Calories – Whole recipe divided by 6.

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Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.04g | Protein: 6.2g | Fat: 15.23g | Saturated Fat: 4.993g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.08g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6.725g | Trans Fat: 0.117g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 338mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 0.71g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Vitamin C: 3.9mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 0.45mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’