Yield: 12 Mega Tots
Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
2 lbs Russet Potatoes (peeled)
1 Tbsp. Potato Starch
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
½ tsp. Onion Powder
½ tsp. Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese (finely grated)
6 oz. Turkey (cooked, & finely diced)
Canned Cranberry Jelly
Canola Oil
Turkey (or chicken) Gravy
Directions:
- Place the potatoes into a large pot. Fill the pot with cold water, making sure the potatoes have at least 1 inch of water above them. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water. Leave the potatoes to rest for about 5 minutes. This will allow them to slightly dry out. Place the potatoes into a large bowl, loosely cover and place in the refrigerator. Allow the potatoes to cool to the touch before working with them.
- Now, using a box grater, grate the cooled potatoes. In a large bowl, mix together the grated potato, potato starch, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and parmesan cheese. Stop mixing when all of the ingredients are well combined.
- Begin to heat the canola oil in a large pot. I made sure the oil was about 4 inches deep, and reached 350F before frying the mega tots.
- Using the palm of your hand, scoop out some of the potato mixture and flatten into a rectangular shape. Place a teaspoon of diced turkey, and jellied cranberry into the center. Shape the potato around the turkey/cranberry mixture and form the mega tot into the shape of an egg. It should be about the same size, too. I placed about ¼ tsp. of jellied cranberry and ¾ tsp. of diced turkey into each mega tot. Place each newly molded mega tot onto parchment paper.
- To fry these mega tots, use a metal slotted spoon and carefully place 1 mega tot at a time into the hot oil. Never fry more than 2 at a time. When they first go into the oil, they will try to stick to the bottom. Very carefully keep the tot moving until it begins to float. After about 2-3 minutes, the tater tot should be golden brown and ready to come out. Place the fried tater tots onto a paper towel lined plate, dust with salt, and leave to cool slightly.
- Serve these bitesize Thanksgiving dinner mega tots with some gravy.
- Enjoy!!