These tots were so much fun to make, sure they are a little bit of a process- but the taste of a crunchy freshly fried tater tot is totally worth the effort. We enjoyed them so much that we made them twice this week. Last night they ended up dinner, and my husband even jumped into the kitchen to help me throw them together! A husband and wife that cook together, last forever! (Ok, I don’t know if that’s true- but I sure enjoy having him in the kitchen from time to time.)
Most tots in stores even if gluten free have rice flour in them. I left that out and kept the ingredient list as simple as possible.
Sweet Potato Tater Tots
- 4-5 medium sized sweet potatoes (or yams)
- 3 Tablespoons of Tapioca or Potato Starch
- 1/2 Tsp. Salt
- Coconut oil for deep frying (OR other high heat safe oil of choice)
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the whole sweet potatoes (DO NOT PEEL THEM). Boil for 15 minutes. Remove from hot water after the 15 minutes and allow to cool fully. (to speed up this process stick them in the fridge or freezer until they are cool enough to handle.
- Remove the skins and grate the potatoes. You should end up with about 4 cups. Place the potatoes on a bed of paper towels and then place more towels on top and press out just a little bit of the moisture.
- Place 4 cups of the shredded potatoes into a mixing bowl with the salt and starch. Mix well.
- On the stove place a skillet (or another pot that can hold an inch or so of oil.) We used a cast iron skillet. Fill it with 1- 1 1/2 inches of frying oil of choice. Turn stove on the medium-high heat and let it heat up while you prepare the tater tots.
- With clean hands make the tots. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of potatoes and roll them between the palms of your hands. Then squish the top and bottom to make the classic shape. Place finished tots on a baking sheet as a holding tank before they go into the fryer.
- Fry small groups of tots (we did about 12 tots at a time). in the hot oil for about 1 minute. You know they are done when they become a dark golden color and are crispy. (NOTE: If you fry them too long they will get mushy on the inside- which still tastes good..but it isn’t the texture we are going for here). If after 1 minute your tots don’t seem to be done cooking, turn the heat up higher. If the tots start to burn before the minute is up, turn the heat down slightly.
- Place the fried tots on a plate with paper towel to drain oil. They taste best hot and fresh! Top with additional salt, pepper or any other spices of choice.
Yields 1 large cookie sheet full of tater tots.
-Brittany-
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
You know, this recipe could easily be adapted to make awesome G/F sweet potato pancakes (served with sour cream and applesauce).
That sounds marvelous…would you adapt the ingredients in any way for a sweet potato pancake “riff”?..Much thanks for another interesting “tweak” on this already wonderful recipe.
These look amazing! Will definitely be giving them a go!
Is there a reason why you peel them after being boiled? Would it make any difference if it was done before to make it easier?
Yes-the peel protects them from getting to soggy. If they retain too much liquid they will end up very soggy when you try to fry them.
Hi Brittany, I’ve enjoyed reading your blog! I’m learning a lot!! Thank you!!
These tots look so yummy!! I will definitely try this recipe!! Have a good one!!
Tina ( :
These look like pure amazingness for brunch-fare!! Question…could I possibly BAKE these tater tots instead of deep frying? I’m loving the crispy exterior you have produced…but I would want to limit the fry factor, as I usually don’t “do” fried anything!…Thanks for the generous share!
I’d love to try these. Do you think they’d work if I baked them?
So far, every one of your recipes we’ve tried has turned out perfectly…except this one!:( It didn’t say how fine to grate them so I used a medium grate on my food processor. They would not stick together. I tried making them into “pancakes” but they still fell apart. It ended up being more like potato “rosti” which was delicious but I was still frustrated that they didn’t turn out. I will try the recipe again using the fine shred because I think that was where things went wrong. I followed the recipe exactly with that one area of mishap since the recipe didn’t state how fine the shred/grate should be. Since they weren’t sticking together, it took much longer to get the level of crispiness needed and I had too much oil. I ended up pouring out half the oil and increasing temp on stove to max. In the end, both my husband (who is not a sweet potato fan) and our two toddlers LOVED it and so did I. Thanks for another great inspiration!
Hmm.. You are right the size of the grate would make a difference! Sorry about that. Sometimes its difficult to see in advance all of the varying things that could go wrong kitchen to kitchen!
I used a box grater and my shreds ended up pretty small..I’ll be curious if you make these again if they turn out properly the next time.
I will definitely give them a try again next time I pick up a couple pounds of organic sweet potatoes! I will try out our box grater too to see how the shred comes out vs the fine shred on the food processor! Thanks Brittany!