Wayyy less complicated than foreign policy, but far more delicious.
Mere days after being confirmed as Kamala Harris’s VP pick, Minnesota Gov.
Tim Walz tweeted one of his family’s “hotdish” recipes: the Turkey Trot Tater-Tot Hotdish.
It quickly became a viral moment, garnering over 1.5 million views.
Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in the nation.
Fun fact.And it’s possible for you to eat it year round.
Who’s to say, really.
I demand a turkey Cook off between you and the Vice President.
The hotdish as a whole is…basically the unofficial dish of Minnesota.
Like, Minnesotans can’t get enough of it.
Whats a hotdish you ask?
I have no problem with peas in a hotdish.
(Cooking with Kamala, I’ll never forget you.)
Walz doesn’t specify the size, but I found that my one-pound bag worked OK.
Truth be told, though, you might want a two-pound bag for maximum tater tot coverage.
Spoiler alert: This dish, whileviolentlyMidwestern, was surprisingly a 10.
Then, you’ll cook the mixture in a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Pyrex is the Minnesota way, of course, but you do you.
Surprise, surprise: You’realsogoing to add the cooked bacon to the baking dish!
Then, you guessed it, you’ll pour everything into the baking dish!
Melt 4 tablespoons butter, then sprinkle in the flour.
Stir it constantly over medium heat for two minutes, until it smells nutty and turns golden.
This is your “roux,” which will thicken the cheese sauce.
Keep on whisking until everything is completely combined and lump-free, then simmer for two more minutes.
I was feeling rather suspect about the raw onions (no sauteing first?!
), but can confirm it all worked out nicely in the end.
Save the remaining 1/2 cup for sprinkling over the tots!
It’s a glorious cheese sauce, if I do say so myself.
I have no clue why, but trust the process (and the Midwesterners responsible for it).
Once sauced, you’ll evenly top everything with frozen tater tots.
Listen, y’all: I did my best with my one-pound bag of tots.
Tim doesn’t provide a picture!
We may never know the “right” way.
Here’s what she looked like straight out of the oven.
At this point, my apartment was 80o (I checked!
As I took this photo, my perplexed husband exclaimed, “What is that?!”
And ultimately…we couldn’t stop eating it.
In the baking dish, it looks great!
What’s not to love?
All this to say: It’s really, really good.
