This recipe comes courtesy of Chef Mark Zeitouni, executive chef of The Standard Spa and Hotel, Miami Beach. Mark has been wowing guests at the hotel for four years now with his fresh, flavor-packed Mediterranean-style cuisine. While he is one of very few top toques in town who serves vegan and raw foods at his restaurant, when you try this recipe you will see that he's equally adept at preparing an iconic all-American dish. If you like Tater Tots, trust us, you're going to love this rendition. It secured Grand Prize in the Idaho Potato Commission's Side Dish Challenge held at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival's Burger Bash. A $5,000 donation to Florida International University was made on behalf of Chef Zeitouni.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 large Idaho® Russet Potatoes, washed thoroughly
2 shallots, peeled
6 parsley sprigs, picked and roughly chopped
4 scallions, green part only, chopped
Pinch white pepper, finely ground
Pinch sea salt, finely ground
Vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
Chef's Note: Carefully read the directions and complete the
processes from start to finish without letting the potatoes get cold.
It is the warm starch from the barely cooked potatoes that holds the
tater tots together.
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Place potatoes on baking pan and cook for
20 minutes or until when squeezed the potatoes barely "give." Remove
from oven and set baking pan on top of oven to keep warm for another 20
minutes. (This will allow the center of the potatoes to barely cook so
they will not turn brown after shredding. The goal is to have the
potatoes barely cooked but not to the point that they turn to mashed
potatoes when grated.)
2. Peel the potato skin back using a butter knife or similar. Try not
to remove any of the flesh underneath the skin as it will help bind the
tater tots.
3. Using either a shredder attachment on a food processor or a hand
grater, shred the potatoes into a bowl. Then press the shallots through
the shredder attachment or if doing by hand, finely dice.
4. Add the shallots and the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix
thoroughly. The mixture should still be warm and sticky to the touch.
At this point, the potatoes can either be pressed into a cookie sheet
to a 1-inch thickness or hand formed into balls of the same 1-inch
thickness. Wet your hands or rolling pin so the starch will not stick.
Once formed allow to cool.
5. Press onto a cookie sheet and cut into 1-inch by 1-inch squares.
6. Heat deep fryer or sauté pan with half inch of vegetable oil to
medium high heat and carefully place the tater tots in the oil. Turn
the potatoes so all sides are cooked evenly to golden brown. Season
lightly with a pinch of sea salt and serve. Enjoy!
The Standard Spa and Hotel
40 Island Avenue
Miami Beach
305-673-1717
