It’s been a crazy week here at the Bentley household and time is just flying by.
It’s like I’ve blinked and the week is gone!
We have had a full house filled with out-of-town guests, balloons, wrapping paper and food…. so much food! We’ve traveled off our “healthy-eating” path for a bit and yesterday’s recipe testing session was an effort to get us back on track!
First… we start with Broccoli. Did you know that Broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables for you and your little one to eat? It’s jammed packed with antioxidants, great for eyesight and boosts your immune system.
For months now, I’ve been buying these “Broccoli Bites” in the grocery store. I’ve always thought to myself… these should have some potatoes in them! Also, how easy they would be to make and freeze. Turns out, these are extremely easy and you probably already have all the ingredients in your kitchen. I really wanted to add Bacon and make these “loaded tater-tots”, but since I didn’t have any… we’ll save that for another day.
What really ties this dish together is cheese. Oh for the love of cheese. It makes everything better. So does Bacon… did I mention that already? 🙂
While shaping these little guys and prepping them for the baking sheet, I thought to myself…. should I pan fry some too? Such a lucky toddler I have, he got to try both versions.
Lucky for me, he preferred the baked version… which is super quick and simple! Just pop them in the oven for 20 minutes, turning once halfway through. Pan fried is simple as well, but just takes some more attention. I tried both and I like the saltiness of the pan-fried (because I added butter), but the baked is probably a little healthier and tastes just as good!
In the end, this recipe made 24 baked Tater-Tots and 12 pan fried. With the abundance of tots, I decided to freeze our leftovers. I popped two in the microwave this morning to add into my son’s eggs and they tasted just as good, if not better, than yesterday! I love recipes that I can make ahead of time and freeze. Don’t you? Enjoy!!
To Print:
- 2 Russet Potatoes, steamed
- 1 head Broccoli (florets only) chopped
- 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup Sweet Onion, minced
- 1 Garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup Cheddar, shredded
- ¼ cup Italian Breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- S+P to taste (about ½ tsp each)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Chop your Broccoli and then add your steamed potatoes. Mash together.
- While your potato mash is still hot, mix in your Garlic, Onion, Cheddar, S+P. Mix well. Once mixed, pour in your Eggs and mix everyone together again.
- Place your Breadcrumbs and Parmesan together in a bowl. Mix until blended.
- Take a small spoon or melon baller and make your tater-tots. Mine were the size of the middle of my palm. You can make them any size you prefer (just remember that larger ones may need a little more cooking time). Roll the tots in your breadcrumb mixture and place on Parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes, turning once halfway in between. Serve warm.
- Some great mix-in ideas are: Bacon, Sour cream, Chives, shredded Carrots and Peas! Also, mix up your cheeses and try something other than Cheddar! These pictures were a mix of White and Yellow Cheddar. Mmmmm.
Leave a Reply