Loaded Tater Tot Cups
An incredibly rich little bite of comfort food, with a surprising hit of apple inside
Servings: 24 people
Calories: 106kcal
Cost: $15
Ingredients
- 72 frozen tater tots 32oz bag is sufficient
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 firm sweet apple Fuji, Envy, Cripp's Pink
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 ripe but firm avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Fill an ungreased 24 mini-muffin baking pan with three frozen tater tots per cup (they can be stacked loosely). Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment or aluminum foil and bake at 425° for approximately 13-15 minutes until they're deeply browned. Remove and drain on paper towels. Crumble into 1/4" pieces. (This step can also be done while the tot cups are cooling later.)
- Take the tot cup tray out of the oven and place on the counter. With the back of a spoon (or your fingers if the tots aren't too hot), gently smash the tots so they fill each cup.
- Using a plastic measuring cup from a medicine bottle (see recipe notes above), a small shot glass, or your fingers if neither of the other items is available, push down into the center of each cup to create a hollow cup with ridges. You can use your fingers to fix any uneven spots, pushing potato bits into place (they'll end up sticking to each other as they finish baking).
- Place the tray back into the oven and bake for another 30-45 minutes until the cups are deeply golden. The crispier you can get them, the longer they'll hold up after filling.
- While the tots are baking, make the filling: julienne the unpeeled apple into 1/8" matchsticks, then slice crosswise to create 1/8" dice (brunoise) and combine with sour cream, shredded cheese, and lemon juice.
- When the tot cups are deeply golden, remove them from the tray and let cool on a cooling rack.
- Remove the skin and pit from the avocado and cut into small dice (1/4").
- Fill each cup with the sour cream mixture and top with avocado and bacon crumbles. You can easily transport the cups by putting them back into the mini-muffin tray and covering with foil or plastic wrap. Store any leftover sour cream mixture in the fridge for up to 2 days; you'll have frozen tots leftover anyway; might as well cook up a few more cups for yourself!
Nutrition
Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 123IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg