
Lost somewhere along the lines of recipes past, this classic New England dish deserves some love. Traditionally, leftovers from the night before are turned into red flannel hash; cooked corned beef is mixed with shredded beets and aromatics to create a wonderful next day meal. If ever a recipe was intended to turn into a tater tot, this is probably it. We didn’t stray too far into the modern, as beets, potatoes and corned beef are all present and accounted for, and give these tots a lovely purple tinge. We think you’ll dig ’em too. The recipe calls for deep frying, but you can also bake in a 450 degree oven until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 large beet, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 large russet potato, scrubbed well, unpeeled and cut into large chunks
- 1/4 pound corned beef from the deli, bought in one large chunk and cut into a large dice
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- kosher salt, to taste
- canola or vegetable oil, for frying
Directions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt.
- Add the beet and potato chunks and reduce the heat to medium.
- Cook until they are still firm but just starting to cook a little, 4-6 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
- While the beets and potatoes are cooling, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add a drizzle of canola oil.
- Add the corned beef and onion and cook until the onion has softened and the corned beef is starting to crisp up, 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add to a large bowl.
- In the bowl of a food processor with the grater attachment or using a large grater, shred the beets and potatoes, then add them to the bowl with the corned beef and onion mixture and stir in the cornstarch.
- Heat an inch of oil in a wide skillet or pot to 340°F.
- While the oil is heating up, shape the tots into small little logs or rounds.
- Add the tots, without crowding the pan, and cook until golden brown and crispy, 4-6 minutes. Adjust the heat if starting to burn or brown too quickly.
- Drain on paper towels and season with a pinch of salt.
- Continue frying until all of the tots are cooked. Uncooked tots can be frozen for up to a month.
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