Chili Cheese Tater Tots

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Chili cheese tater tots always hit the spot when you're craving comfort food. Crispy tater tots are topped with homemade chili and melted cheddar cheese for a snack the whole family can enjoy!

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• Watch how to make this
• What makes this dish special
• The Ingredients
• How to make chili cheese tater tots
• Frequently asked questions
• More snack recipes
• Recipe

Watch how to make this

@cherryonmysundae

Chili cheese tater tots. find the recipe link in bio. #recipesforyou #comfortfood #easyrecipes #tatertots #snackideas

♬ Beach Day - Plastic Ruby

What makes this dish special

Years ago, my friend took me to a restaurant that had the biggest portion of chili cheese fries known to man for only $4. We were only able to finish ¼ of the serving, but I enjoyed every bite immensely. How can you resist freshly fried french fries topped with savory beef chili and tons of shredded cheddar? I've been going to the same establishment ever since whenever I want a good helping of chili cheese fries. That craving struck again today but I decided to make my own at home with tater tots instead of french fries. Tater tots with chili cheese? How can you go wrong?

The Ingredients

• Ground beef: Beef is the classic meat choice for chili but you can also use ground turkey, ground chicken, or a combination of ground beef and ground pork.
• Spices: I use a combination of chili powder, paprika, cumin, and coriander to season the chili. You can also use chipotle powder instead of chili powder.
• Canned crushed tomatoes: For a smoother chili, use canned crushed tomatoes. You can use canned chopped tomatoes as well but will have chunks of tomatoes in the chili.
• Tater tots: I used store-bought frozen tater tots for this dish but you can also serve this dish with french fries.
• Cheddar cheese: You can use either sharp or mild cheddar cheese or use another shredded cheese such as Colby Jack, or Mexican cheese.

How to make chili cheese tater tots

Step 1: Make the Chili

Since we're using store-bought tater tots, the only part of this dish we really have to prepare is the chili. Start by browning the ground beef. I like to use lean ground beef but you can use an 80/20 mixture as well. Just make to drain the fat before adding the liquids.

Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute them until softened. Then, add the spices and stir to combine everything together. Add the remaining ingredients including the canned crushed tomatoes and beef stock and bring the chili to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.

The secret to making the best chili is to cook the stew over low heat for a long period of time. I remember watching an episode of Top Chef where the challenge was to cook the best chili. All of the chefs stayed up during the entire night to cook their chili, stirring as needed. I cooked my chili for only 1 hour since I was limited on time. But even after one hour, the chili had developed great flavor from the spices and tomatoes.

Step 2: Cook Tater Tots

Since I was making the chili, I decided to just buy tater tots instead of making them myself. I reheated mine in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F until crispy. Another great way to reheat tater tots is to use the air fryer.

Top the crispy tater tots with chili and top with shredded cheddar cheese. The heat from the chili will be hot enough to melt the cheese.

The chili seems so simple but it really makes the dish! The crispy tater tots with hot chili and gooey cheese...all the reasons why I love chili with potatoes come rushing back as I indulged in this dish. Plenty of leftover chili and tater tots mean I'll be having this again...probably tomorrow!

Frequently asked questions

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