Oven Fried Tater Tots Recipe

Oven Fried Tater Tots are tossed with bacon drippings and sea salt. Baked to a crunchy perfection!

I could easily become a fast food junkie; I think it's probably in my best interest that Sonic is not just around the corner from our house. It is perfectly handy to stop by when we head into town for groceries and banking. A Route-44 Strawberry Limeade, a giant cheeseburger and tater tots are my favorites.

Those darn tater tots are highly addicting. I've been making a fantastic version at home that I like even better. They are oven fried and so easy!

Bacon is a staple at our house. We don't eat it every day, or even every week, but at least a couple of times a month. I save my bacon drippings religiously. Please don't tell me that you are not in the habit of it. Throwing out bacon drippings is a terrible waste in my book!

I simply pour the drippings into a big mason jar and keep it in the fridge. What does bacon drippings have to do with tater tots? Well, it's the secret ingredient to these oven-fried tater tots. They are sure to wow your taste buds with flavor.

I just add the bacon drippings to a sheet pan and let it melt while the oven preheats. I toss the tater tots with the melted bacon drippings and then give it a sprinkle of season salt. They bake - or oven fry at a high temperature. I flip them over about halfway through cooking. They come out so crunchy and so delicious.

A few weeks back, the boys brought home some huge catfish and we had everyone over for a fish fry. My deep fryer was going strong on the porch, frying fish. I had these tater tots going in the oven. It was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. Brings me back to the days of our family's restaurant. Tater tots make a great side dish for burgers, catfish and even my chicken fried steak sandwiches. 

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