Sweet Potato Tater Tots

Today I’m lucky to be able to share a kickass recipe from The Frugal Paleo Cookbook!

My friend and fellow blogger Ciarra from Popular Paleo has written the ultimate guide to eating Paleo without going broke – but that doesn’t mean she’s just slinging cheap food. The Frugal Paleo Cookbook is packed with 100 amazing recipes, but it’s more than a cookbook: it’s full of practical strategies to help you use the resources, time and money you have for maximum kitchen results. I love that it uses accessible ingredients, teaches you simple cooking methods to build fantastic layers of flavor and that it’s written like you’re right there in Ciarra’s kitchen. And, trust me, you want to be in Ciarra’s kitchen: her recipes are killer!

The Frugal Paleo Cookbook #1 New Release on Amazon!The Frugal Paleo Cookbook hits stores December 2, so there are only a few days to release! That means there’s also only a few days to scoop up a copy at it’s cheapest pre-release price! As a bonus, Ciarra is offering a pre-order package full of awesome info and money-saving coupons, too. Want to hear something better? You could get 30 percent off that price if you take advantage of the book promotion that’s happening on Amazon right now. Use the code “HOLIDAY30” at checkout to get an additional 30% off – the offer ends at 11:59 pm PST November 30th.

Sweet Potato Tater Tots from The Frugal Paleo Cookbook #paleo #frugalpaleo #glutenfree #aip

Ok, so onto the recipe! If I said it was for “sweet potato tater tots”, would you totally assume that you needed to use weird starches or bizarre-o flours? Well, you don’t! Ciarra has come up with an amazing method which means you can make sweet potato tater tots out of…. sweet potato. Yup, that’s it. No fuss, no expensive unusual ingredients. Just sweet potato. She’s a genius. A dollar-saving, real-food fairy godmother of a genius who can show you how to eat family friendly meals without fuss or needing to spend all your money at Whole Foods.

Here’s what Ciarra had to say about this recipe: “I’d like to say that I came up with these sweet potato tater tots for my kids, but we all know the truth. Adults love these just as much as kids do! Tater Tots are an irresistible crunchy side dish, which can actually be made Paleo-friendly thanks to a couple of sweet potatoes—not yams—and some good-quality oil for frying.”
 Sweet Potato Tater Tots from The Frugal Paleo Cookbook #paleo #frugalpaleo #glutenfree #aip
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Sweet Potato Tater Tots {AIP}

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Wash the sweet potatoes and poke a few times with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature. This will take a few hours, so plan ahead.
  2. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skin. It should easily slide off when you drag the back of a butter knife across it. Discard the peels.
  3. Using a box grater, shred the sweet potatoes. The potatoes should be somewhat sticky from having the intrinsic sugars activated from the baking. In fact, it’s the natural sugars from the sweet potatoes that act as the binder for the tot.
  4. Use a tablespoon or something comparable to scoop out spoonfuls of shredded potato. Working one at a time, roll the potatoes back and forth in the palm of your hand a few times, then squish the ends flat to create the classic tater tot shape. Continue working until all the potato is used up.
  5. Now move to frying the newly formed tots. I like to use an 8-inch (20-cm) cast-iron skillet because it is narrow with high-sides. This means less oil is needed, which saves money. There is some flexibility between which Paleo-friendly oil to select, but in general animal-based fats will yield a better flavor, so my vote is for lard from pastured pigs or duck fat. In the event you don’t have these on hand, avocado oil works great—as does coconut oil. Avoid oils with low smoke points like olive or bacon drippings. They won’t fry properly.
  6. Melt or heat your chosen fat in a small, high-sided pan at just shy of high heat. Don’t max out your dial, but get it pretty close.
  7. When the oil is hot, fry 5 or 6 tots at a time, working in batches. Frying only a few at a time will keep the oil temperature stable. This means the tots will have a crispy outside and a creamy inside.
  8. Each side only requires about a minute or so to brown, so keep a close eye on the tots and always be ready to turn and/or remove them. The end caps don’t generally need frying since the oil level is likely high enough to brown the edges.
  9. Once the Tater Tots are golden brown, remove them from the oil and transfer to a surface lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat until all of the tots are cooked.
  10. Season with salt (I like coarse-grain Celtic sea salt on these) and maybe a sprinkling of House Seasoning (from page 187 of the book) for an extra kick. Serve with your favorite Paleo dipping sauce or use these to make Paleo Hotdish (on page 48 of the book)—more commonly known as Tater Tot Casserole.

If you like the look of this recipe, pre-order The Frugal Paleo Cookbook here!

Print

Sweet Potato Tater Tots {AIP}

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Wash the sweet potatoes and poke a few times with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature. This will take a few hours, so plan ahead.
  2. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skin. It should easily slide off when you drag the back of a butter knife across it. Discard the peels.
  3. Using a box grater, shred the sweet potatoes. The potatoes should be somewhat sticky from having the intrinsic sugars activated from the baking. In fact, it’s the natural sugars from the sweet potatoes that act as the binder for the tot.
  4. Use a tablespoon or something comparable to scoop out spoonfuls of shredded potato. Working one at a time, roll the potatoes back and forth in the palm of your hand a few times, then squish the ends flat to create the classic tater tot shape. Continue working until all the potato is used up.
  5. Now move to frying the newly formed tots. I like to use an 8-inch (20-cm) cast-iron skillet because it is narrow with high-sides. This means less oil is needed, which saves money. There is some flexibility between which Paleo-friendly oil to select, but in general animal-based fats will yield a better flavor, so my vote is for lard from pastured pigs or duck fat. In the event you don’t have these on hand, avocado oil works great—as does coconut oil. Avoid oils with low smoke points like olive or bacon drippings. They won’t fry properly.
  6. Melt or heat your chosen fat in a small, high-sided pan at just shy of high heat. Don’t max out your dial, but get it pretty close.
  7. When the oil is hot, fry 5 or 6 tots at a time, working in batches. Frying only a few at a time will keep the oil temperature stable. This means the tots will have a crispy outside and a creamy inside.
  8. Each side only requires about a minute or so to brown, so keep a close eye on the tots and always be ready to turn and/or remove them. The end caps don’t generally need frying since the oil level is likely high enough to brown the edges.
  9. Once the Tater Tots are golden brown, remove them from the oil and transfer to a surface lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat until all of the tots are cooked.
  10. Season with salt (I like coarse-grain Celtic sea salt on these) and maybe a sprinkling of House Seasoning (from page 187 of the book) for an extra kick. Serve with your favorite Paleo dipping sauce or use these to make Paleo Hotdish (on page 48 of the book)—more commonly known as Tater Tot Casserole.

Click here to pin the recipe for Sweet Potato Tater Tots!

Sweet Potato Tater Tots from The Frugal Paleo Cookbook #paleo #frugalpaleo #glutenfree #aip

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