Tater tot egg bake, cut in wedges
it holds, or it does not

Tater tot egg bake, cut in wedges

Part Spanish tortilla, part hash brown. Goes to the table whole and gets cut like a cake.


At a Glance

Time
40 min
Adjust servings

Story

The tots have to stop being frozen before the eggs arrive, and that is the whole recipe. Cold tots chill the custard around them, so the middle stays wet while the edges overcook, and the thing will not hold together when you try to slide it out. Four to five minutes in the pan first, until they soften and give under a spoon, and everything after that behaves.

Ingredients

  • 1 yellow onionthinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepperthinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb frozen tater tots
  • 8 eggs
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 1 tbsp hot sauce
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • saltpepper

Method

Caroline Chambers got this from a friend and cannot decide what it is. Neither can I. Spanish tortilla, hash brown, frittata, breakfast at eight in the evening.

The skillet will look absurdly full when the tots go in. That is correct.

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Cut the onion and the pepper into thin slices.
  2. Warm the oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Onion, pepper and tots in with a big pinch of salt. It will be full to the brim. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirred frequently, until the vegetables soften and the tots are no longer frozen.
  3. Meanwhile whisk the eggs, milk, hot sauce, paprika and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.
  4. Pour the eggs into the skillet and scooch things around so they are evenly spread.
  5. Into the oven, 12 to 20 minutes, until the eggs no longer wobble in the middle.
  6. Run a spatula all the way round the edge to free it, then slide it out onto a plate whole. Cut into six wedges.

On the pass

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