I have a little confession to make…… I adore tater tots. Ketchup with tater tots, ranch with tater tots, ground beef casserole with tater tots (I should really share that recipe with you), cheese burgers with tater tots, ice cream with tater tots, (almost) everything tastes better with tater tots (in my humble opinion)! To my credit though, I have cut back on my tater tot consumption over the years, in fact in my late teens when I was free from my parents and “living the good life” my diet and cooking skills consisted of tater tots and pop tarts. I’m glad (as is my family) that my repertoire has expanded….a little. 😉
The other day I was thinking a crunchy hash brown crust in a breakfast casserole would be great…..then I thought of tater tots! A crunchy tater tot crust with eggs and bacon and cheese. Yummmm. It took me a couple tries to get it just right, but its goooooood, really good!…and super easy. 🙂
Start by greasing a 9×13 inch baking pan, then put 4 cups of frozen tater tots in the pan and put it in the oven preheated to 425° for 10 minutes.
While that is in the oven, scramble a dozen eggs with 3/4 cup of cream or milk, salt and a little pepper. Then grate 1 to 2 cups of cheese (I used cheddar) and chop up 1 to 2 cups of cooked bacon, ham or sausage. (or any combination of the three)
After the tater tots have been in the oven for 10 minutes take them out and use the bottom of a cup or mason jar to squish the tots together to make the crust. Sprinkle with a little salt then put them back in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. You want them to be pretty brown and starting to get crispy.
When they look brown and a little crispy take them out of the oven and turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Pour the scrambled eggs over your tater tot crust and sprinkle the meat and cheese over the top.
Now put it back in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes. When the eggs are set up and don’t jiggle when you (gently) shake the pan, then it is done.
This is so delicious!!
- 4 cups of tater tots
- 1 dozen eggs
- ¾ cup cream or milk
- 1 to 2 cups crumbled bacon or ham or sausage or any combination of the 3
- 1 to 2 cups grated cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425°
- Grease a 9x13" baking pan and put the tater tots in it.
- Bake the tots for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
- While the tots are in the oven, grate the cheese, prepare the meat you're are using and scramble the eggs with milk and a little salt and pepper.
- After the tater tots have cooked for 10 minutes take them out and smash them evenly with the bottom of a cup or mason jar. The edges will creep up the sides of the pan to make a nice crust.
- Sprinkle them with a little salt and put them back in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. You want them to be getting brown and a little crispy. When you pull them out of the oven turn the oven down to 350°.
- Pour the scrambled eggs into the hot crust then sprinkle the bacon(or other meat) and cheese on top and return it to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. When you can gently shake the pan and the eggs don't jiggle, it's done!
This recipe is extremely versatile. You could add mushrooms, onions, garlic, tomatoes, any kind of cooked veggies would work. You can omit the meat and use any kind of cheese you want. As long as all the “add ins” including meat, cheese and veggies measure about 4 cups, just have fun and make it just the way your family will like it.
“Whether a lot or a little, what you have is less important than what you do with what you have.” ~Sandra Stanly
This post was shared at: The Art Of Homemaking Mondays – Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop – Weekend Potluck –
