Basic homemade tater tot recipe that is crispy on the outside, light and delicate on the inside. Add bacon, cheese, onion, chives, or jalapenos for variety. (2 tbs total). Some experience required. Supervise kids carefully because of the hot oil.
Cut the potatoes in fourths and parboil them in a generous amount of water to cover.
Allow to cool, at least to the point you can handle them.
Grate them on the big holes of your grater.
Gently place them in a bowl.
Add the flour, salt, pepper, and onion and mix gently.
Let stand for about 5 minutes.
Heat the oil up to 355-360F
Use 1 ½ teaspoons potato mixture for each tot.
Shape the potato mixture gently until it is in the shape of a tater tot.
Fry, a few at a time, in the hot oil just until they are golden brown.
Drain on absorbent paper.
Air Fryer
Be sure to chill them first. You can also cook them from frozen.
Spray lightly with olive oil.
Place them in the air fryer so that the sides don't touch.
Turn a couple of times during cooking. This may take 15 minutes or so.
Notes
Add up to 2 tablespoons finely chopped: bacon, cilantro, jalapeno, cheese, crab, chives, or other ingredients for delicious variations.You can also bake them at 400F. Sweet Potatoes work well, too. ALSO to make them gluten free you can substitute gluten free baking mix but you'll also want to add a little egg to help bind it.
You can save time by using the shredded hash browns in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.
Don't forget to parboil the potatoes.
Grate them gently after you parboil them - you don't want them mushy.
If you are adding other ingredients do so sparingly - 1 tablespoon per cup of potatoes is about right.
You can use flour, cornstarch, or potato starch as a binder but go easy on it.
Use peanut oil unless someone has an allergy - it just fries better.
Make sure your oil is new and not rancid, and definitely don't reuse oil more than once.
Use an electric deep fryer to keep the temperature even.
Never overcrowd the fryer.
If they seem to wet you might try making them with powdered dried onion or powdered garlic instead of fresh.