Tater Tot Cups With Smoked Salmon And Creme Fraiche

                                                     

Tater Tot Cups With Smoked Salmon And Crème Fraiche

The viral technique of turning tater tots into crispy potato cups is quite simple. Makes 24 hors d’oeuvre 

Ingredients and Directions;
Take a nonstick, metal, 24-cup mini-muffin pan and place 

three frozen tater tots in each mould—a 24 oz bag will be enough. They won’t fit neatly, but it doesn’t matter. Bake in a 400°F (204°C) oven until the tater tots are hot, 12 to 14 minutes. 

Remove the pan and place it on a dry kitchen towel on the counter. Using the back tip of a teaspoon, smush the tots into cup shapes to fill the moulds. 

To make an even better cavity, you can further smush them with the back of a melon baller, or your fingertip if they’re cool enough.

Return to oven and bake until brown and crispy, about 30 minutes more. Remove from oven and transfer cups from pan to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. They can sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours.

When you’re ready to serve, pop them back into the oven just to warm them through.  Then fill each with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream. 

Roll a strip of smoked salmon into a little rose (or don’t) and place in cups. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately. 

Instead of smoked salmon, you could use salmon roe or lumpfish caviar. For a fully loaded version, use bacon bits and grated cheddar instead of salmon.
Makes 24 hors d’oeuvres

Broccoli Tots

Broccoli Tots

Ingredients

1 bunch of broccoli, cut into equal sized florets (around 3-4 cups)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Pour 1 inch of water into a saucepan; bring to a boil. Place the broccoli into the boiling water, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the broccoli for 5-6 minutes, or until it can easily be pierced by a fork. Drain the broccoli and set aside to cool slightly.

Lay the broccoli out onto paper towels and cover with more paper towels, Press down firmly on the broccoli to absorb as much moisture as you can. Another method is to put the broccoli in the center of a dish towel and ring out the water as seen here. Finely chop the broccoli.

In a large bowl, combine combine all of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together until well mixed. Fill each muffin cup in a mini muffin tin to the top, pushing down on the filling with your spoon so it's nice and compacted.

Bake for 18-20 minutes in preheated oven. The top will be starting to golden. To easily remove from the pan (without scratching it to death), run a plastic knife around the edges of each tot and they should come out easier.

Notes
If they seem to be falling apart when you take them out of the pan you can (1) put them back into the oven to cook for a few minutes longer so they are a bit crisper or (2) let them sit in the pan for a few minutes to let the insides firm up a bit before removing them from the pan. You have to be ginger with them if they're sticking a little to the pan!

The sharp cheddar can be substituted with whatever cheese you have on hand.

Yield 22-24 Mini Broccoli Tots