Chef John's German Tater Tot Potato Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

This one is dedicated to people who don't like to follow directions.

It's been my experience the most people like tater tots. It's also been my experience that most people don't like to peel and cut potatoes. And that's just two reasons for why I think most people will love this German "tater tot" potato salad. Also, there's bacon involved. This is a very simple recipe, and the hot bacon dressing couldn't be easier, but one thing must happen for this to be a complete success.

You have to be able to not follow directions. The instructions on your bag of frozen tater tots is probably going to say to bake for 30 minutes or so, which might be fine if they're going to be eaten as is, but for this German salad application, they must be extra crispy, and will need at least 10 extra minutes, and maybe more.

This will prevent them from falling apart when we toss them, as well as improve the texture of the over all dish. The only other advice I'll give to is to make sure you enjoy this salad hot or warm, or at the very least room temp, since cold bacon dressing is not something we generally want to eat. You can make the dressing ahead of time, so it's ready to reheat, and toss with your tots as soon as they're ready. In any case, whether you pair these with a meaty main course, or enjoy them as a stand-alone dish, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Get the recipe for Chef John's German Tater Tot® Potato Salad.

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