Minnesota Tater Tot Hotdish Recipe
PREFACE
The classic meal-in-a-dish from Minnesota. Other recipes are much more humble but I like to zoup it up just a tad but still maintain its core tradition. Also, while it looks like a lot of ingredients and steps, it’s actually SUPER EASY. And very customizable too, ya betcha’!
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon of butter (oil or vegan butter works too)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 pound 80-percent lean ground beef (or vegan meat substitute)
1 spicy Italian sausage (optional)
1 cup+ frozen peas
1 cup+ frozen corn
Two 10-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup
1 pound frozen potato “Tater Tots”
(Recommend “Oreida crowns” which are slightly smaller than regular tater tots, but both work)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup+ shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
3 green onions, roughly chopped (white stems removed)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Add the oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and butter then cook until soft and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes, stirring every 1-2 minutes. Then add the garlic for 2-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a teaspoon of salt here too.
3. Add the beef and sausage to the skillet, season with salt and pepper and cook until the meat is brown. Cook for about 10 minutes while stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet to release the tasty brown bits, making sure the sausage & beef are cooked.
4. Transfer the meat mixture from the skillet into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Scatter the peas and corn (or other optional veggies) evenly on top. Spread the cream of mushroom soup over top and then add the frozen tater tots. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour; the potato nuggets should be golden brown. Might need more time if you added more stuff or different oven temp.
5. Turn on the broiler for just a few minutes (watch so it doesn’t burn) to get it nice and brown. Sprinkle the tots with some salt (sea salt flakes if you have it). Then top with cheddar cheese so it melts. Remove from oven and garnish with chopped green onions. Serve!
OPTIONAL STEPS/INGREDIENTS:
– Add some mushrooms (to step 2) for increased earthy/umami flavor
– Add red bell pepper (to step 3) for color/acidity
– Frozen green beans, broccoli, etc may be subbed or added (to step 4) to make it healthier*
– This dish is meant not meant to be spicy (as it’s from Minnesota), but you can add a jalapeño pepper (to step 3) and then top with Sriracha at the end for a little kick.
* Seriously though, who are we kidding?
UPDATE: Please excuse the 12 flag. We made this for the Seahawks vs Vikings game to honor our Nordic friends.
