A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR YOUR COLD WEATHER CRAVINGS- POTATO CHEESE TOTS

I fondly remember the day when my mother fried frozen potato bites for us for the first time. It was 7-8 years back, may be even more, when the Indian market was totally taken by frozen snacks available on sale, at reasonable prices. Prior to that it was just about the fries we got at McDonalds.
Most of these frozen foods are full of preservatives, even though they are a saviour when you have unexpected guests who like fried food. :P

To get you the best of both worlds, I now reveal the secret of just as good, crisp and delightful potato bites/ tots. To add to all that awesomeness, I took them up a notch by throwing in some roasted garlic and parsley.
Still not enough? Add a teaspoon of cream!
Think you can make them better than that? I added mozzarella too!
And for you to agree to these being the best of the best, let me tell you... they freeze really well! About a week or so! They'd be eaten by then anyway. Don't worry now.

I would suggest that you stop buying *any* frozen potato bites from the market now. Because no matter what, they can never be as flavoursome. The homemade ones can be made the way you want them to be- add any herbs of your choice, your favourite cheese and also, your desired shape and size, though they won't rightly be tater tots if you make them any bigger! That's a personal choice, you'll go to food heaven anyway. AND the fried-food-freak in you will thank me later. :P

A few tips before you get the tots together-
1. DO NOT use fresh bread for the breadcrumbs. They wont stick and will swim around in the oil, creating oily and soggy bites. Total mess!
If you have only fresh bread on hand, microwave 1 slice (as per this recipe) for 1-2 minutes or till dry. Else toast it on the tawa. Then pulse in a food processor till it  forms fine crumbs.
2. Do keep the coated bites in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, helps them cook and brown evenly. You could skip the chilling if you're short on time.

The breadcrumbs and chilling remind me of how the humble, very Indian 'aloo bonda' has been westernised and made into tater tots. More on this later!*sigh*

Coming back to the topic of importance, the cheesy potato tots can be made by even those who aren't fond of being in the kitchen, because the tater tots barely take half an hour from start to finish, which includes chilling too! And it's not going to be that easy to wait while they chill.
I dare you!
Go make them and enjoy with a hot cuppa alongside.
Love,
Kavya

CHEESY GARLIC POTATO BITES/ TATER TOTS
Makes 8-10 tots
Recipe can be doubled easily.

Ingredients-
2 medium sized potatoes, boiled and mashed nicely
2 cloves roasted/ raw garlic, minced
1 green/ red chili, chopped very finely
2-3 tbsp fresh parsley/ coriander leaves, chopped finely
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp cream, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
Breadcrumbs, made with 1 slice of white bread
2 tbsp maida + 3-4 tbsp water made into a thick paste/ a beaten egg ( i prefer flour-water mixture)
Vegetable oil, for frying

Method-

1. Take the mashed potatoes in a bowl.
2. Add the garlic, parsley, chili and mix.
3. Season with salt and pepper. taste and adjust.
4. Slowly but properly mix in the mozzarella cheese and cream, if using.
5. Shape any way you like, probably into bite sized tots.
6. Dip in the flour-water mixture/ beaten egg. Let the excess drip off.
7. Lightly coat all the tots with breadcrumbs.
8. Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
9. Fry till golden in moderately hot oil. About 2 minutes in total.
10. Serve with ketchup or any chutney of you liking.

See? SO short and easy!
Enjoy! =)