Do you ever wonder why tater-tots are only served by Mexican fast food joints? Why are tater-tots Mexican and French fries French? These are the kinds of deep questions that flow through my mind at 4 in the morning after marathon watching seven episodes of MasterChef Junior.
The tots were on my mind because, as we were watching those adorable kids cooking fancy things like chicken roulades and beef wellington, we had to get our snack on. My snack of choice: tater tot nachos, with an egg on top, of course! It wasn’t fancy, but I’m pretty sure the kids would approve.
A little late night googling revealed that tater tots aren’t Mexican at all. Like so many delicious foods, they were invented by Ore-Ida to use up their leftover scraps from french fries. Did you know that Ore-Ida is a combination of Oregon and Idaho? Their factory is on the edge of Oregon, right near Idaho. Wikipedia never fails to amaze me and I’m not saying that sarcastically!
Bonus info: tater tots are also known as juliennes, potato puffs, potato gems, potato royals, potato pom-poms and spud puppies. Whatever they’re called, they’re delicious, especially topped with jalapeños, fried eggs and cheese. I threw fried eggs on top because even though people say that the food trend of throwing an egg on it is so over, I’m not one to be afraid of kicking it old school. Nothing beats runny eggs and potatoes. Plus, putting an egg on top means it’s breakfast, right?
Tater Tot Breakfast Nacho Recipe
serves 4
- 1 package tater tots
- eggs, as many as desired
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
- sliced green onions
- chopped cilantro
- sriracha or hot sauce, if desired
- sour cream, if desired
Bake the tater tots on a lined baking tray according to the package. While baking, fry eggs sunny side up and set aside.
When the tots are done, remove from the oven and top with cheese, jalapeños and green onions. Bake until the cheese is melty and delicious. Remove from the oven and top with sunny side up eggs, cilantro, hot sauce and sour cream. Enjoy immediately.
38 Comments
November 12, 2013 at 11:25 am
This looks crazy delicious, and I now have a craving for it! (And I agree that the egg on top trend will never die for me. I’d eat one on just about anything.)
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Sophie says:
November 12, 2013 at 1:06 pm
This looks AWESOME. It looks simpler than regular chip nachos, even — maybe because I’m too concerned with getting cheese/toppings on every single chip surface.
Thankfully, at least in my lil’ Oregon town, tater tots are not just familiar on Mexican resaurant menus, but most bars serve a version (Cajun tots, side of sriacha mayo, sweet potato tots, etc) on their starter menus. I LOVE THEM. Move over, Napoleon!
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November 12, 2013 at 2:58 pm
You totally just made my day. WHOA!
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JK says:
November 13, 2013 at 5:11 am
This looks pretty tasty, you can never go wrong with eggs, cheese, potato, and jalapeño for breakfast! I’m not sure where you got the idea that tater tots are a “Mexican” food, do you live in a place where there is no Mexican food? I’m genuinely curious. Here in San Antonio, tater tots generally accompany things like burger, hot dogs, and kids meals.
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Jeff says:
November 13, 2013 at 8:58 am
Maybe it’s a Canadian oe western thing. On the east coast of the US, tater tots aren’t associated with Mexican food at all. We eat them at fast food joints, school lunch rooms, and as substitutes for fries at home. However, I’ve never seen them served with Mexican food here in the Southeast, or really anywhere else.
As usual, your recipe looks great. Love your blog.
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Jessica says:
November 13, 2013 at 2:55 pm
My husband would love this! Ha ha tater tots remind me of the movie Napoleon Dynamite!
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Joy says:
November 13, 2013 at 7:17 pm
Be still my heart! Jalapenos, tater tots and nachos!
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November 14, 2013 at 12:23 am
Weekend breakfast… Done.
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James says:
February 22, 2014 at 3:02 pm
This looks really tasty, I will have it. Come to Portland. Ore. sometime. You can get tater tots at most bars and some restaurants.
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Julie says:
November 11, 2014 at 8:38 pm
Great idea!!! I am going to add in some chorizo for a little extra kick;)
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Alycia@foodblogit says:
November 17, 2014 at 3:35 pm
Wow!! So simple yet i don’t think I would have ever thought of this!! Can’t wait to try it, thank u!!
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Bad Girl says:
June 6, 2015 at 10:30 pm
I like my tater tots mashed into a flat mass, fried in bacon grease on both sides so it is CRAZY crisp. Top with crumbled bacon, cheddar and american slices. Broil. Top with bacon grease fried eggs, salsa and sour cream. Scoop up with warm flour tortillas after you’ve gooped it up some or shovel directly into my mouth. Chase with a bloody mary or a beer or coffee. Oink. OK not oink because that would make me a cannibal. Slurpburpole!
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Ben says:
March 15, 2016 at 12:16 am
I totally agree with you, put an egg on ANYthing and it’s a breakfast.
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Dee says:
December 24, 2018 at 1:32 pm
I tried this and it was really enjoyable! I cut the recipe down for one and had it as a breakfast for dinner thing. I also didn’t have cilantro. It’s really good.
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Stephanie says:
December 26, 2018 at 12:25 pm
breakfast for dinner is the best! :) thanks for taking the time to comment!
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Nbtvi says:
March 11, 2019 at 2:21 am
U my kinda gal. Enjoy breaky
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