“To suit our mainly vegetarian household, we decided that the Thanksgiving sides would become our mains,” says author and publisher Hetty McKinnon. And that menu always, always includes tater tots. This year she decided to turn the tots into an egg bake, which is directly inspired by, and strikingly reminiscent of, tortilla española. A Spanish tortilla is traditionally made with oil-poached potatoes, but using their processed counterparts is not new, notes Hetty: “Many years ago a chef friend shared that she used leftover french fries, and chef Ferran Adrià famously makes his with potato chips.” It turns out that tater tots, with their crispy exteriors and creamy middles, are perfect stand-ins. The finished product is full of texture and somehow still brimming with a tot aroma that’s undeniably familiar, even if you’ve never tasted one. If you’re surprised by (and skeptical of!) the amount of tots in this recipe, don’t worry, a lot of them break down to form a creamy union with the gently set egg.
Recipe information
Yield
6 - 8 Servings
Ingredients
1
2
2
7–8
1½
⅓
1
10
1
1
2
3
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk shallot, orange juice, vinegar, 3 Tbsp. oil, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl to combine; season dressing with pepper. Set aside.
Step 2
Toast almonds in a dry 10" nonstick skillet (at least 2" deep) over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
Step 3
Wipe out skillet, pour in 2 Tbsp. oil, and reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if needed, until very soft but without taking on any color, 10–12 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Step 4
Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a large bowl with remaining 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt; season with pepper. Fold in tater tots and let sit 10 minutes.
Step 5
Fold onion into egg mixture (try to keep tater tots intact, but it’s okay if some break up). Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over medium-high. Pour egg mixture into pan and flatten surface with a heatproof rubber spatula to make sure tater tots are mostly submerged. Reduce heat to low; cook, undisturbed, watching edges to make sure egg isn’t getting too brown, until golden underneath and top is only a little runny, 20–25 minutes.
Step 6
Using spatula, loosen edges of egg. Wearing oven mitts, place a large plate upside down over skillet and swiftly flip over to turn egg out onto plate. If skillet is dry, add 1 Tbsp oil. Slide egg back into skillet, top side down, and cook until center is just set, about 5 minutes. Transfer back to plate; let cool if desired.
Step 7
To serve, add radicchio, arugula, cheese, and nuts to reserved dressing and toss to combine; season with salt and plenty of pepper. Pile salad on top of tortilla.
How would you rate Tater Tot Egg Bake With Bitter Greens Salad?
Leave a Review
Reviews (32)
Back to TopLooks delicious and very kid-friendly. Has anyone tried it in a bundt pan and in the oven?
BBLarkin
Horseshoe Bay, Texas
12/15/2023
Ended up baking in the oven after meal was not even close to done after allotted stove top cooking time. Final product is mediocre.
Rachel
Ft Lauderdale, FL
10/29/2023
Tastes great but didn't work out practically for me. In step 5 would suggest getting the pan and oil pretty hot so the egg tot mixture pulls away from the pan in step 6. This recipe produced way more than 6-8 servings so next time I'll third or half it to make it more manageable.
Amber
La Quinta, CA
12/21/2021
I love this! Having lived with tortilla-flip anxiety ever since I lived in Spain 25 years ago, I used a cast-iron pan and finished in a hot oven, no flip necessary. My family will be enjoying “Tot-illa Españolish” on many future Sundays!!
Laurie
San Francisco
5/7/2021
This recipe is such a creative and brilliant take on Tortilla Española which I ate many times in Spain. I love how crunchy the outer shell became. I followed the recipe exactly. I needed help “swiftly” flipping it on to a plate as I made it in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. The salad is a KEEPER!! Oh my word. Manchego is my all time favorite cheese and the salad took less than five minutes to whip up. My kids thought the tortilla tasted like hashbrowns and were happy. My six year old requested Gorgonzola!!! I complied and also tried a slice atop my tortilla and it was divine.
Kelsey Cooks
Mobile, AL
4/18/2021
Is it Tortilla? No. Is it fun, easy and totally delicious? Absolutely! We made this on a lazy Saturday morning and it took about 40 minutes start to finish. There's lot of cooking "waiting time" so most of was hands off. the small group LOVED it! My first flip browned slightly (20 mins exact) but there was still a slightly soft runny middle so it was perfect for us. I used 3/4 the bag of tots mostly bc my bowl was small and that ratio was perfect. Will make again as an easy and impressive group breakfast!
Anonymous
Astoria, NY
12/27/2020
I think this recipe is fun, versatile and delicious. My "tortilla" came out perfect. I highly recommend using the almonds and cheese with the salad. (I subbed what I had: a container of mixed greens and gouda/Parmesan blend).
JudyW
Louisville KY
11/29/2020