American
Classic Tater Tot Hotdish
Minnesota's greatest contribution to comfort food — communal, cozy, and crowned with gloriously crispy tots.
Recipe by Cyman Huang
Cooked, styled and photographed in his kitchen.
Hotdish is the Midwest's term for what the rest of the country calls a casserole, and it is the defining comfort food of Minnesota and the surrounding region.
Made from a combination of starch, protein, vegetable, and a creamy binder, topped with crispy tater tots and baked until bubbling and golden, hotdish appears at every church potluck, community gathering, and family table from October through April in the Upper Midwest. It is not fancy. It is precisely the point.
Watch it come together
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs 80/20 ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup (or 1 cup sour cream)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups frozen green beans or mixed vegetables
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded (divided)
- 1 bag (32 oz) frozen tater tots
Method
- 1
Preheat oven to 375°F.
- 2
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking into crumbles, until deeply cooked. Add onion and cook 5–6 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Drain excess fat.
- 3
Add cream of mushroom soup, cheddar soup (or sour cream), milk, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Stir until smooth and combined.
- 4
Stir in frozen green beans and corn. Add 1.5 cups of the shredded cheddar and stir to combine.
- 5
Transfer the mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread evenly. Top with remaining ½ cup cheddar.
- 6
Arrange tater tots in a single, tight layer over the top of the filling, covering it completely.
- 7
Bake uncovered for 45–55 minutes until the tater tots are deep golden brown and crispy and the filling is bubbling around the edges. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Substitutions
- Chef's tip: for the crispiest tots, place the baking dish on the lower rack of the oven so bottom heat crisps the underside too.
- If the tots aren't browning in the final 10 minutes, run the broiler briefly and watch carefully.
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