Tater Tot Nachos

Sharing is caring!

I have been trying to get this recipe for Tater Tot Nachos perfected and shot before the big game, and I barely did it.  First things first, why did the tater tot disappear for so long?  I fell back in love with the crispy tater tot after having them with a meal in Southern California.  Ever since I have been thinking of a million differnet ways to use them beyond snacks.  This recipe for tater tot nachos is the bomb, and it is going to be a big hit at our Super Bowl party!  You still have time to run out and grab the ingredients, as they are simple to find and you may even have half of them already.  Hurry and just do it, then thank me later.

This is going to be weird when you read it, but this food memory came about after a visit to Hooters in Long Beach.  OMG!  Never thought those words would come out of my mouth.  We were waiting for the ferry to Catalina Island, and our options were slim.  If we hadn’t been driving all day to get to there, we might have waited until we got to the island.  Instead, we headed into our only option, for some icy cold beers and a platter of Tater Tot Nachos.  That platter of potatoes was neither good nor bad, we were just hungry.  We kept talking about it all weekend, and how we would make it different and better.  Five years later, here it is.  I have a feeling if we went back the experience there would not be the same, but I can guarantee you this recipe for Tater Tot Nachos is way better than the ones we had at Hooters!

My recipe is slightly different as I decided to make a spicy, cheesy sauce to pour over the tater tots instead of melting cheese over them.  I got the idea after we made pounds of mac and cheese for some videos we shot last year, and one of the recipes had this amazing creamy cheese sauce.  What makes this sauce so creamy and so reminiscent of that orange cheese of our youth is using evaporated milk.  The sauce ends up so smooth and thick;  heavenly!  I mixed things up by adding Tabasco Buffalo Sauce to give it some kick as well there is a lot of crispy bacon!

More Super Bowl Snacks

Clam Dip

Queso Fundido 

Amber Ale French Onion Soup Dip

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Tater Tot Nachos

Print

Tater Tot Nachos are tater tots loaded with spicy melted cheese sauce, crispy bacon, green onions and sour cream. An easy appetizer that takes minutes to make.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 ounces evaporated milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups sharp or mild cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 - 2 tablespoons Tabasco Buffalo Sauce or your favorite hot sauce
• 1 large bag of frozen tater tots
• 5 strips of bacon, cut into small dice
• 4 green onions, cut into small dice
• sour cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425.

Scatter the tater tots onto a cookie sheet and place them into the oven. I cooked for a total of 37 minutes as I like the potatoes to be a bit crisper than usual. They will hold up better under the cheesy sauce.

While the tater tots are baking cook the bacon and make the sauce.

Cook the bacon until golden brown and crispy. Drain with a slotted spoon and place the bacon on a paper towel.

Toss the cheese with the flour. Set aside

In a small saucepan melt the butter, then add the evaporated milk and gently warm over low heat.

Stir in the cheese, and continue stirring until melted and very smooth.

Add the hot sauce, stir and continue cooking over low heat until thickened.

Remove the tater tots from the oven, let sit for a minute, and then place onto a serving platter.

Drizzle with half of the cheese (save some for serving on the side or another batch), then scatter with the bacon and green onions. Add dollops of sour cream.

Serve.

Eat.

Notes

Super verstile recipe you can add more toppings if you want, change it up to feed your cravings.

Did you make this recipe?

Thank you for joining us at the Chez Us table. We truly love having you here.Have you made this recipe?  Please share what recipes you are enjoying from Chez Us. We would love to see and be able to share with our followers. Use the hashtag #chezuseats on your social media channels, then we can pull a chair up to your virtual table and share with our friends.