Tater Tots, Mac and Cheese, and Broccoli Di Cicco

i was dreaming about tater tots since Sunday after going to a cute little restaurant called Q. i wanted to attempt to make them from scratch, add leeks, and serve them with some creme fraiche. i came close to figuring it out, but they didn't hold up.

i started at the ferry building farmers market and told the potato stand my plans and for a recommendation, and it was, "definitely the Yukon golds". i also picked up some of the most beautiful leeks i had ever had, there was just so much white, which is a result of adding dirt around the leeks as they grow to keep them from the sun.



after googling around, it seemed that the instructions are to first cook the potatoes then shred them into chunks at the consistency you'd expect or maybe right down to mashed if you like that kind of tot. between boiling and baking the potatoes i went with baking because i assumed that the water would be trouble. after cooking, i peeled and grated the potato mixed in with sauteed leeks, added a little flour, thyme, salt and pepper. i think i needed to de-oil the leeks a lot more since it effected how well the tots were holding together. to get the tot shape, i piped the mixture through a bag. i imagined myself cutting them off like gnocchi into a deep fryer, but i had neither a sharp enough knife or a deep fryer so i just piped it out onto a surface and cut it up.

frying the tots just failed, they fell apart... probably because i have no idea how to fry stuff and the mixture had too much oil or needed more binding help. so i just put them on a sheet and threw them in the oven which left the tots not nearly crispy enough.

i decided to make a mac and cheese with some irish cheddar, parm, with a layer of cheese baked on top. simple and more classic. mac and cheese really is not enough to stand up on its own, it usually wants a pair. broccoli works well, but i didn't mix it in. i found my favorite broccoli at the farmers market, broccoli di cicco. it is very much like rapinni, except it is less bitter, if bitter at all. i sauteed it in some olive oil, dried garlic, red-pepper flakes, salt and squeezed some lemon juice on top of it before eating it.

i just didn't have the skill to execute this all correctly, or perhaps the equipment and time. it was good, all the right flavors were there.