We enjoy a good Tater Tot every now and then…but even more than that, we love the concept of little fried morsels of goodness; the fun shouldn’t end at potatoes. To that end, we tend to make our own various Veggie Tots using ingredients like Zucchini, Pumpkin, and Kale.
Anyway, with our love of Beets, we figured we’d attempt to give them the tot treatment, so we got to work boiling and peeling them. We then chopped them finely with broccoli in our trusty food processor before adding some salt and flour to the mix to enhance the flavours and hold the tots together before shallowly deep frying them!
Our last decision point revolved around what to dip our tots in! We eventually settled on a Honey Tarragon Aioli that we thinned out by whisking in some milk. That said, we think if you’ve got the ingredients to make it happen, these would be great paired with some Whipped Goat Cheese!
Time: 30 Minutes (plus about an hour to boil your beets, which can be done ahead of time)
Ingredients (for 3 servings):
- For your Tots:
- 2 Medium Beets
- 1 Broccoli Crown
- 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
- Salt
- For your Aioli:
- Mayonnaise
- Dried Tarragon
- Honey
- Cracked White Peppercorn
- Garlic Powder
- Milk (to thin your sauce)
Method:
- Boil your beets for 45-60 minutes until they are soft enough to pierce with a fork. Then, remove them from the water, and set them aside until they are cool enough to peel with your thumbs. Peel, and cut into cubes.
- Cut your broccoli into florets, and add them to your food processor. Pulse to finely chop your florets.
- Add your beet cubes to your chopped broccoli, and pulse to chop your beets and incorporate them into your broccoli.
- Transfer your beet/broccoli mixture to a bowl, and add your all purpose flour. Stir to completely combine so that your mixture will hold together while cooking.
- Use your hands to form your tots, and arrange them on a plate.
- Heat some oil in the bottom of a Dutch Oven (or whatever your preferred frying vessel is).
- Carefully arrange your tots in a single layer in your Dutch Oven, and fry for a few minutes on each side. Repeat in batches until all of your tots are cooked.
- As your tots fry, make your sauce!
- Combine your mayonnaise, garlic powder, tarragon, honey, and white pepper in a small bowl, and stir to combine.
- Working one tablespoon at a time, whisk in some milk to thin your aioli.
- When your aioli reaches your desired consistency, scoop it into dipping bowls.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
