
Tater tots are such a humble and child-friendly food, they make chicken nuggets look sophisticated by comparison. It turns out they’re really hard to recreate from scratch.
Over at Bon Appétit, Pastry chef Claire Saffitz set out to make the classic kid finger food and, in the process, discovered what a hassle it is to make them without a factory-driven industrial process to peel, mash, shape, and fry them.
Watching the process, however, is pretty entertaining, and along the way you’ll learn a thing or two you could steal to try in your own kitchen. Like who, but a gourmet chef, would even think to simmer herbs in the frying oil to infuse the fried food with extra flavor? We may never make homemade tater tots, but we’ll certainly steal that idea.