Month: February 2015

Tater tots are baked until super crispy and then topped with seasoned beef, cheese sauce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, green onion and crumbled bacon. It’s pure junk food heaven.

INGREDIENTS:
* 1 large bag gluten-free frozen tater tots (get the extra crispy variety if you can find them)
* 3-4 slices bacon
* 1/2 onion, finely chopped
* 1 lb very lean ground beef
* 1 Tablespoon chili powder
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* grated cheddar
* salsa
* guacamole
* sour cream
* several green onions, finely chopped

Prepare the tater tots using the oven method instructions on the package. Err on the side of overbaking because you’ll be adding a lot of wet toppings, and you want the tots to remain as crunchy as possible.

While the tater tots are baking, fry the bacon until crisp in a large frying pan. Remove and set aside to cool. Ladle out all but about 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease. Add the onion to the frying pan and cook over medium heat until softened. Add the beef and stir to mix. Once the beef is no longer pink, add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate and then cook several additional minutes until the flavors have melded and the meat is cooked through.

Once the tater tots have finished baking, use tongs or a spoon to transfer to a large platter or individual plates. Top with the seasoned beef, cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and green onions. Crumble the bacon over the top and serve immediately.