Thinking happy tots

A Pinch of Salt

By Donna-Marie Riani

Potatoes are the perfect side dish with just about anything. I will eat them in any form I can get: fried, roasted, mashed, it's all good. But there is something unique about a tater tot. They are crispy on the outside and tender and fluffy on the inside. “To tot or not to tot,” that is never the question, at least not for me.

This column is dedicated to highlighting all the foods that are uniquely Oregon and to my great surprise, I found out that Tater Tots were born in Oregon. They are the brainchild of Francis and Golden Grigg, who started the Oregon Frozen Foods Company in 1949. At first, the only products they made were frozen corn and French fries. When cutting the potatoes to make the fries, there would be lots of potato slivers left over, which for quite a while the brothers fed to their livestock.

It was the Griggs’ strong desire not to waste anything that led to the creation of the Tater Tot. They took the potato slivers and mixed them with flour and seasonings and formed them into small logs. The brothers debuted their creation in the early 1950s. The name came about through a company contest. Tater is slang for potato and tot refers to the small size. The brothers opened a second factory in Idaho, then changed the company name to Ore-Ida — the first three letters of Oregon and Idaho.

I love the Grigg brothers' story. It’s so inspiring how they took something that was considered leftover scraps and used it to create a whole new product. Pretty soon, lots of frozen food makers wanted in on the tot action. All you have to do is visit the frozen food section of your grocery store and you will see that many companies have capitalized on our love of tots. There are many different brands putting their own unique spin on them, but of course they are not called Tater Tots, as that is a registered trademark. They instead call them puffs or croquettes.

This week's recipe is a variation on the national dish of Spain, the Spanish Tortilla, an omelette made with eggs, potatoes, onions and olive oil. You will find it is often served at room temperature with a nice glass of wine. Normally, when making this you thinly slice potatoes and cook them with onions in olive oil. This recipe is a fun twist on an old classic. Manchego cheese is typically not served on it, that’s just me. Manchego is one of my favorite Spanish cheeses and I’ll take any excuse to use it.

Spanish Tot-Tilla  

Serves 6 to 8 

1 large yellow onion, cut into thin half moons

4 tablespoons olive oil

10 large eggs

32 ounces tots or puffs, thawed

3 ounces Manchego cheese, shaved or grated  

In a large, 10-inch skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. When oil is hot, add the sliced onion. Cook the onion until very soft, stirring occasionally. You are not trying to brown the onions, just soften them. This will take about 10 minutes. When the onions are done, take the skillet off the heat and place the onions on a plate to cool slightly. Do not wipe out the skillet. You want all that onion oil goodness. It’s packed with flavor.

In the meantime, whisk the eggs into a large bowl with a teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of black pepper. Fold in the thawed tots and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. You might notice some of the tots falling apart. This is ok.

After 10 minutes, you can fold the cooled onions into the egg mixture gently.

Put the skillet back over medium-low heat and add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Use a heat-proof spatula to move the mixture around to make sure it is evenly distributed in the skillet. At this point, reduce the heat to low. You want the omelette to be golden brown, not dark brown, so low and slow is the way to go. Just watch the edges to make sure it isn’t getting too dark. This will cook undisturbed for about 15 to 20 minutes. The top of the omelette will still be a little runny.

Loosen the sides of the omelette with the spatula. Place a large plate over the skillet. Wearing oven mitts, flip the omelette over onto the plate. Now slide it back into the skillet browned side up. This side will only take about five minutes to cook.

Slide onto a plate and top with the Manchego. Cut into wedges to serve.