Tater Tot Casserole

Cooking for Kids

My Nanny Kids like chicken pot pie and they love tater tots. So my Mom Boss asked to try making this recipe she found on the epicurious web site that is essentially a chicken pot pie with tater tot crust instead of pie dough.

Although you won’t need all the tater tots in the package for the casserole, I recommend making all the tater tots in the package for the kids to enjoy alongside the main dish.

You Will Need:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt
6 tablespoons flour
3 cups whole milk
Enough chicken broth base to make 3 cups broth
3/4 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Black pepper
18 ounces frozen Tater Tots
Ketchup, for serving (optional)

What to Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring until soft, about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the flour so that it gets evenly distributed. Add 1 1/2 cups of the milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Repeat with the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk.

4. Stir in the chicken broth base, peas, chicken, thyme, and a few turns of pepper and simmer, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste the mixture and adjust seasonings if desired.

5. Transfer the mixture to an 11×8-inch baking dish (or other 3-quart ovenproof dish) and cover the bitch with Tater Tots. Arrange them snugly and neatly.

6. Bake until the tots are golden brown. Begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes.

7. Let cool slightly and serve with ketchup, if desired.

References:

Recipe from epicurious
Photos by Stephanie Felzenberg