Thanksgiving Stuffing Tots
Biting into these tots is a real trip – they seem like a regular tater tot, but they taste like Thanksgiving stuffing! That’s because within the mixture of chunky potatoes, there is sausage, onion, carrot, celery, and lots of herbs! So crispy on the outside, and pillowy soft on the inside, these tots really deliver everything you could want in a sports bar snack, or a friendsgiving app!
The inspiration for these tots
I was talking to my Instagram buddy this week about unique plated courses inspired by Thanksgiving side dishes, and these tots came to mind. I made a tater tot stuffing a few years back that is still one of my favorite recipes ever. It’s definitely in my tot cookbook, and was even ripped off last year on a popular daytime food talk show! While that dish puts tots inside stuffing, this one flips the concept and puts stuffing inside tots!
Creating the Thanksgiving Stuffing Flavor
Sausage, carrot, celery, and onion in the pan with lots of butter. After it cooks down a little, add parsley, sage, and rosemary. This is what will give the tots their Thanksgiving stuffing flavor!
Cook this down for a little and it basically forms thanksgiving stuffing paste! It’s actually a great binder to hold the tots together.
Making the tots
I have made a lot of tots. I tested so many recipes for the cookbook. The way I like to do it is first roast some potato chunks, then gently food process them into small potato flecks.
Roast the potatoes on very high heat for only 13 minutes so they brown up but aren’t fully cooked. This is a variation on the homemade tots in the cookbook, adjusted to be flavored with the Thanksgiving stuffing paste.
Process the potatoes into small piecesย and mix them with the stuffing mixture, breadcrumbs, and an egg.
Forming the Thanksgiving Stuffing Tots
Grab some of the tot mixture in your fingertips and form it into the traditional tot shape. It should be about 2 tablespoons worth of potato. Don’t press too hard! If you press to hard they will be dense and dry. If you press to lightly they will fall apart. It takes a little practice.
Look at these beauties!
Fry the tots
Deep fry the Thanksgiving stuffing tots at 350 until crispy on the outsides- about 5 minutes.
Just look at these Thanksgiving stuffing tots glistening in the autumn afternoon sun!
Serve with gravy. So good.
Making tots this way creates the best interior for homemade tots.ย Trust me, I have done a lot of totย testing.
Twists on this recipe
If you want to bake these Thanksgiving stuffing tots you can! My favorite way is in a mini muffin tin.ย Put the heat super hot and spray the pan with some nonstick spray. Put some of the totย mixtureย into each muffin spot about 1/2 inch high. Cook until you can see it browning on the edges. It makes nice and crispy coin shaped tots.
Everyone always asks if you can airfy them, and yes you can! Form the tots and spray or brush them with a high heat oil like avocado or peanut. Cook on high in the air fryer until crispy!
If you love tater tots, check out my recipe for spicy pickle deviled tots, or these brussel sprouts and tots with sweet chili sauce!
Thanksgiving Stuffing Tots
Ingredients
- 1.25 pounds peeled potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 stick butter
- 3 small raw breakfast sausages remove from casing
- 1/4 cup finely diced onion
- 1/4 cup finley diced celery
- 1/4 cup finley diced carrot
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped sage
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Toss the potatoes with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 450 for 13 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom and corners but undercooked in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the sausage, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook about 7 minutes to soften and break up the sausage. Add in the herbs and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Pulse the cooled potatoes in the food processor until you end up with the chunks being pea sized or smaller.
- Mix the potatoes with the veggie/herb/butter mixture, the breadcrumbs, and the egg. Stir to combine.
- Form tots with your hands.
- Fry at 350 for about 5 minutes until browned.
- Remove to a rack, salt, and serve with warm gravy.
- * If you don’t want to fry these, my favorite way to cook them is in the oven at 450 in a mini muffin tin. It forms coin shaped tots that get nicely browned and crunchy. Only put the filling up to a half inch inside each muffin spot.