Kent Rollins has been cooking with fire for over 25 years as a chuck wagon and cowboy cook.
He enjoys outdoor cooking and is willing to share his knowledge of Dutch oven cooking, cast iron cooking, and even grilling, through his YouTube channel Cowboy Kent Rollins.
Kent started his cooking career guiding and feeding hunters deep in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico with his uncle.
In 1993, he bought a chuck wagon and began cooking for ranches, shortly expanding into catering. The governor of Oklahoma proclaimed Kent the Official Chuck Wagon of Oklahoma in 1996 because of his huge popularity and commitment to preserving a historic way of life.
Are you looking for an easy homemade tater tots recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place because one of Kent’s recipe videos features simple handmade tater tots with a trick for making these crispy little fellers. If you’ve tried this recipe, you’ll never go back to the frozen food section of the supermarket again!
Here are the ingredients:
- 4 medium Russet potatoes (peeled)
- 5-6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon dried rosemary chopped
- oil for frying
- Red River Ranch Original seasoning or salt and pepper
The steps are as follows:
Worth The Time
This procedure takes some time, but it is well worth the effort. The best potato to use for these tater tots is the russet.
Peeling the potatoes is a matter of personal preference, but Kent prefers to take the time to peel them.
After peeling (or just cleaning), parboil the potatoes — basically, just partially boil them. Place them in a pot of water and turn on the heat. When the water begins to boil, cook the potatoes for about 7 minutes. Dump off the hot water and cover the potatoes with cool water.
Rollin’s tip says,
“Parboiling the potatoes will ensure that they fry evenly, inside and out.”
A grate time
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, grate the potatoes into a big bowl and fill with just a bit of water. Allow for 5 minutes of resting time. Drain and repeat.
Place the grated potatoes in a colander and thoroughly drain. Continue until the water is clear.
“Take your time in rinsing the grated potatoes, because this removes the starch,” Rollins added.
Place the potatoes on a towel (don’t use a paper towel) to drain. To remove the moisture, place another towel on top and firmly press down.
In a small bowl, combine 5 tablespoons of flour. Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, and chopped rosemary.
Mix a small amount of the dry mixture into the grated potatoes at a time.
Time to play the ball
With a tablespoon, spoon the potato mixture out into your hands to form small discs about ½-inch thick. If the mixture isn’t holding together well enough into tots, add more flour to make it stick together.
“I like to form the tater tots into small disc shapes because they ensures a more even fry and they won’t be raw in the middle,” Rollins said.
Add enough oil into a saucepan or Dutch oven to deep fry and heat to 350 degrees F.
Fry the tots in batches for about 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.
“Don’t overcrowd the swimming pool. Try to fry too many at one time but you want to make sure that grease is hot. It’s going to help them stay together, even better,” Rollins shared.
Drain and put on a wire rack or paper towel to absorb the excess moisture. Sprinkle with Red River Ranch Original seasoning or salt and black pepper. And serve them warm!
Enjoy this recipe and get ready for a tasty crunchy outside and a delicious creamy potato inside. You’ll never reach for frozen tater tots again!
Be sure to check out Kent’s video below to see the entire process!
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