Nacho Tots

Totchos, also known as loaded tater tots, are a play on the classic nachos recipe. They’re a fun snack to make for game time, after school or a potluck. You’ll bake the tater tots on high heat, which helps them keep their crisp as they’re topped with all sorts of delicious, gooey toppings such as cheese and sausage.

This is just one of our favorite tater tot recipes, so if you and your fam love these crispy potato bites, we’ll show you plenty of ways to serve em’ up.

Ingredients for Totchos

• Tater tots: Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, tater tots are a great replacement for tortilla chips. If you want to use homemade tater tots, you may find their fresh flavor worth the effort.
• Fresh sausage: To stick with the theme of this dish, we recommend using Mexican chorizo, which features a rich, sightly spicy flavor. That said, you can also opt for spicy pork sausage if the extra chile isn’t your thing.
• Canned tomato and green chiles: Using canned tomato and green chiles is a shortcut to achieving the acidic flavor and satisfying crunch that’s so vital to this snack.
• Velveeta: This cheese is ideal for totchos, nachos and any other dish that needs melted cheese. If you prefer to use another melting cheese, feel free.
• Black beans: Both black and pinto beans are very common in Mexican cuisine. In particular, black beans have an earthy flavor that plays well with savory, spicy ingredients.
• Jalapeno: The seeds of spicy peppers contain the most heat, so if you want to modify how spicy this dish gets, use more or less of them.
• Cilantro: One of the staple herbs used in Mexican and Latin American cooking, cilantro is a cooling, fresh foil to the other ingredients in these totchos.
• Green onion: This variety of onion is relatively mild in flavor, so it’s easy to chop them up and sprinkle them on raw.
• Avocado: This fruit is popular worldwide but it’s native to Mexico and Latin America. Typically, Hass avocados work best because they’re rich and creamy tasting.
• Tomato: A little fresh tomato is a great way to top off these warm, cheesy totchos.
• Sour cream: With its creamy texture and slightly tart flavor, sour cream goes well with nearly any Mexican recipe. If you want a more traditional ingredient, look for Mexican crema or nata.

Directions

Step 1: Bake the tots

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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the tater tots in an ungreased 13×9 inch baking dish. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.

Step 2: Cook the chorizo

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Using a large skillet, cook the chorizo or sausage over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. When the sausage is no longer pink, remove it from the pan and set aside.

Step 3: Warm the tomatoes, chiles and cheese

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In the same skillet, add the canned tomatoes, chiles and melting cheese. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the cheese is melted. Pour the mixture over the tater tots and sprinkle with chorizo and black beans.

Step 4: Finish baking, garnish and serve

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Bake the whole dish uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with jalapenos, cilantro and green onions. Top with avocado and tomato and serve with sour cream.

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Totchos Variations

• Swap the tater tots: If you want to play with flavors a bit more, feel free to use another ingredient such as hush puppies, cornbread or plantain chips in place of the tots.
• Layer in more toppings: Loaded tater tots are a pretty free-form dish, so you can choose a variety of toppings, based on your preferences. For example, fresh corn, black olives and poblano peppers would all work well here.

How to Store Totchos

To store this dish, first allow the totchos to come to room temperature. Then, transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to four days. When ready to eat, reheat the totchos in the microwave, oven or over the stove top with the lid on.

Can I freeze totchos?

You can freeze this dish, but you may notice the texture changes after you thaw and reheat it. To store, place the cooled totchos in an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to four months. When ready to enjoy, thaw the leftovers in the fridge overnight.

Totchos Tips

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What are the best toppings for tater tots?

As with many foods made from potatoes, tater tots combine well with many flavors. For example, you can go with shredded chicken and barbecue sauce or blue cheese dressing and beef.

What is the secret to making good nachos?

Of course, totchos aren’t nachos, but they’re similar in spirit. When layering your dish, think about the balance between textures and flavors. For example, if every ingredient is soft, you may end up with a gooey mess.

How to make nachos that aren’t soggy?

Apart from eating your nachos or loaded tater tots when they’re fresh out of the oven, use a high cooking temperature. This warms the ingredients and melts the cheese without giving the dish too much time to soften.