Sweet Tots With Honey Mustard Food

SWEET PO-TATER TOTS

Steps:

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the sweet potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Dry off any excess water with a kitchen towel.
• Put the onions and cooled sweet potatoes in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Pulse until the sweet potatoes are almost pureed but still a bit grainy. You should have some very small bits of potato visible. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to combine.
• Using your hands, shape the potato mixture into 1- to 1 1/2-inch-long cylinders, packing them very tightly.
• Heat about 2 inches of oil in a deep heavy skillet over medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees F. Line a large plate or baking sheet with paper towels.
• Working in batches, add the tater tots to the shimmering hot oil and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, turning with tongs or a slotted spoon to ensure even browning and being careful not to overcrowd the pan. With a slotted spoon or skimmer, remove the browned tots to the towel-lined plate to drain. Serve warm.

SWEET POTATO AND BACON TOTS WITH CREAMY MUSTARD DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sweet potato and bacon tots: Boil a pot of salted water. Add the potatoes and partially cook, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside. Meanwhile, add the bacon to a small skillet over medium heat and cook until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Finely chop the bacon when cooled. Heat the oil to 300 degrees F in a straight-sided skillet. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, shred the potatoes using either a box grater or shredding attachment on a food processor. Place 4 sheets of paper towels on a countertop. Dump the potatoes on top of the paper towels and fold the towels over the potatoes. Squeeze as much moisture out of the potatoes as possible. (This is the trick to make perfect tater tots; too much moisture will result in little pieces of potato all around your skillet when frying.) Combine the potatoes with the bacon, flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well to combine. Form the potato mixture into small logs using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon. Working in batches, fry the tots in the skillet until golden brown, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Adjust the heat, as needed, to keep the oil at 300 degrees F. Transfer the tots to a paper-towel-lined plate to strain excess fat. Sprinkle the tots with salt while still warm.
• For the creamy mustard dipping sauce: Combine the mayo, honey and mustard in a small bowl. Sprinkle the sauce with salt and pepper. Serve the sweet potato and bacon tots hot with the creamy mustard dipping sauce.