Today we’re going with a fun recipe, one that’s maybe not a complete meal but is still tasty and vegetarian – vegan, in fact – because sometimes you need a little junk food in your life, and why not make it yourself? Tater tots are an American classic, served at almost every elementary school (or at least they were when we were kids), and they’re so associated with our national cuisine that Miriam once had a friend from Eastern Europe who was determined to get her hands on some tots as soon as she arrived in this country. These tater tots, which we based on a recipe from Bon Appétit, were a nice snack for us, and it was interesting to eat them not just plain with ketchup, as you usually do, but with a homemade sauce that brings in a bunch of different flavors. We liked having these crispy little potatoes paired with a Chinese-style sauce, and while you might not think to combine all these flavors with spuds, the result is an elevated snack food that you can take pride in making for yourself.
For these, you’ll need:
- A 28-ounce bag of frozen tater tots
- Scallions
- Cornstarch
- Honey
- Sriracha
- Ketchup
- Soy sauce
- Vegetable oil
- A red bell pepper
- An onion
- Garlic
- Sesame seeds
To prep the tater tots, place them on a baking sheet so they don’t overlap and cook them according to the package directions. Once they come out of the oven, place them in your broiler on low for 2 or 3 minutes to crisp up, but make sure you watch them closely so they don’t burn.
Meanwhile, chop your bell pepper and onion into bite-sized pieces. Also chop 3 garlic cloves and thinly slice 3 scallions. Measure out 3 tablespoons of oil into a pan, warm over high heat, and cook the pepper, onion, garlic, and only the paler slices of scallion for about 3 minutes, until they vegetables are softened but not browned.
Then in a bowl mix 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch into 1/3 cup of water and add in 2/3 cup of honey, 1/3 cup of sriracha sauce, 6 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons of ketchup, and a generous sprinkling of salt. Stir everything together well and then pour this sauce into the pan and cook for around a minute or so, just until the sauce coats all the vegetables well.
Turn the heat down to low until your tater tots are done, then gently mix them in, making sure not to break them up, and take the pan off the heat.
Finally, toast 3 teaspoons of sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Transfer the tater tots to a serving dish and top with the sesame seeds and the darker scallion slices.
Honestly, we hadn’t eaten tater tots in ages, so it was fun to try some tots out again in an unusual way. The sauce was fairly easy to make – all we had to do was sauté some vegetables and then mix a few ingredients together. And when we beheld our finished product, we thought it looked a lot like some Chinese food – that is, if that cuisine ever decided to incorporate tater tots into its repertoire. We wouldn’t eat a dish like this every day of the week, but it makes for a fun snack or side dish, and it’s interesting and tasty enough to be a cool and unique thing to serve. After all, vegans need junk food too, and we’ll try anything that has potatoes and a delicious sauce and no meat in sight.