Tater Tot Muffins

Oh my . . . two of my favorite things all rolled into one!

What an awesome concept!

This recipe comes from Peggy Trowbridge Filippone from About.com who always comes up with such great cooking ideas.

Peggy suggests experimenting with other ingredients like sour cream, chives, bacon, cheese and also commented that it can be baked as a casserole.    Her recommendation for leftovers is to scramble them into some eggs . . . now that sounds delicious!  I would top the egg dish with some cheddar cheese.

Can't wait to try these!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Resting Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 package (28 ounces) frozen mini tater tots, thawed
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1 can cream of celery soup (undiluted)
• 2 cups fine-shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided use
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
• 1/8 cup chopped chives
  

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray standard-sized muffin tins with vegetable oil.

Break each tater tot in half. Combine tater tots, diced onions, undiluted cream of celery soup, 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese, sour cream, butter, bacon bits, and chives.

Compress potato mixture into prepared muffin pans, pressing firmly, and place on a rimmed cookie sheet. Top with remaining Cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until nicely browned. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 12 servings 

Source: Tater Tot Muffins Recipe Photo © 2011 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.