Potato tots -- those crunchy, bite-size hash brown cubes you pour ketchup on or add to a casserole --- got their start as french fry scraps. First served as a breakfast item at the National Potato Convention in 1954, potato tots are a tasty treat you can enjoy at any meal. Forget the preservatives and unhealthy ingredients you may find in commercial, frozen tots and cook your own at home. Make your tots even healthier by substituting sweet potatoes for white potatoes.
Step 1
Peel white potatoes, set them in a large sauce pan and add enough cold water to cover them by about 1 inch. If you are using sweet potatoes, add them to the saucepan without peeling.
Step 2
Bring the water to a full boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and cook the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 12 to 15 minutes for white potatoes and about 20 minutes for sweet potatoes.
Step 3
Drain the potatoes into a colander and let them cool. Peel sweet potatoes with a paring knife after cooling.
Step 4
Shred the potatoes onto a sheet of wax paper using the coarse side of a box-style vegetable grater.
Step 5
Lay out four sheets of paper towels or clean, lint free kitchen towels and spoon about half the potatoes onto the towels. Fold up one end of the toweling and gently press to remove any excess moisture. Dump the dried potatoes into a mixing bowl. Repeat the process for the remaining potatoes.
Step 6
Add the flour, egg or egg substitute and breadcrumbs to separate bowls.
Step 7
Spray a nonstick baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. As an alternate option, line a nonstick baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper before spraying.
Step 8
Wash your hands and mold a tbsp. of potatoes into a small ball. Repeat with the rest of the potato mixture.
Step 9
Roll each potato ball first in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Set each on the baking sheet as you make them.
Step 10
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the potato tots for 15 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
Tips and Warnings
- The trick to making potato tots is getting them dry enough so they do not fall apart. Use a dry white baking potato, such as a Russet potato and take extra care when drying sweet potatoes as their moisture content is high. Adding 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese to sweet potato tots will add flavor and help remove excess moisture. Add 1 tsp. each of cayenne pepper and paprika and 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder to the flour or according to your taste preference, for extra flavor.
Things You'll Need
- Vegetable peeler
- Saucepan
- 1 lb. white or sweet potatoes
- Colander
- Paring knife
- Vegetable grater, box style
- Wax paper
- Paper towels or kitchen towel
- 4 mixing bowls
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 egg, slightly beaten or egg substitute
- 1 cup breadcrumbs, plain or flavored
- Vegetable oil Spray
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
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