Tater tots - the meal prep manual

Step 1

Place all of your frozen, shredded hash browns in a microwave safe dish. Microwave them for a minute or two until they are thawed. They don't need to be hot here, we just want them to be malleable and easy to cut.

Step 2

Spread out all of your potatoes on a large cutting board. Cut the hash browns into a small dice by passing a knife through them a few times. We don't need perfect cuts, just shoot for a small dice.

Step 3

In a large bowl, add the potatoes, cornstarch, and seasoned salt. You can use regular salt if you don't have seasoned salt. I would only use 3 tsp if you do.

Step 4

Mix the potatoes until all of the ingredients have been incorporated.

Step 5

Using a standard sized cookie scoop, pack the scoop with potatoes and press them into the scoop using your thumb. Release the tots onto a sheet pan and continue this process until the potatoes are gone.

Step 6

Once you have formed all of the tater tots you can either cook them at this step or place them straight into the freezer. It makes no difference.

Step 7

If you choose to freeze at this step, place the sheet pan into the freezer and allow the tots to flash freeze until frozen solid then transfer into a ziplock bag, remove as much air as possible, and place into the freezer.

Step 8

To cook the tots, preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Place the tater tots, straight from the freezer, into your air fryer and spray the tops lightly with oil. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until they have achieved your preferred level of browning.

Step 9

I got 49 tots out of this recipe with a standard sized cookie scoop that I packed level with the top. If your yield is greater or less, you will want to reference the table below to update the nutritional estimates.