4 Russet potatoes peeled and chopped
1 egg beaten
1/2 Cup milk
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Large bags plain kettle cooked chips crushed or a few cups of Panko bread crumbs, or a mix of both
Peel and slice the potatoes into chuncks. Boil them for 10-15 minutes in salted water until the potato pieces are fork tender. Then drain them and transfer them to a bowl.
Using a fork, mush up your potatoes and let them cool for a few minutes until they are room temperature or slightly warmer. Then add milk, butter, flour and egg. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper.
The key to making these easily is to not worry about shaping the tot until after it’s coated. You can make them uniform by using a heaping teaspoon for each tot. Just drop a few teaspoons of mashed potatoes in your bowl of crust. Roll them around until they are coated all the way around.
Then you can easily pick up each tot and shape it easily in your hand. Just make a light fist around the tot while pinching it on the ends with your other hand. That will make it shape into the cylinder you are probably familiar with, and place it on a baking sheet.
The oil to deep fry should be 350 or the tots won’t cook fast enough and the inside will get too hot and leak out.
Cook them in batches and they should only need about 5-7 minutes per batch. Once you scoop them out of the oil, transfer them to a paper towel and salt them immediately. You can use seasoned salt for a little extra flavor.
Serve them with ranch dressing, hot chili sauce, tomato ketchup or your favorite or a combination.
The chip coated ones will be more crispy.