There's another thread on tater tots being served at local restaurants. I have always wanted to try a homemade version. Online recipes call for baking potatoes, scooping out the stuff, mixing in other stuff, rolling into balls and baking/frying for the finish. It seems to me that these would be dense and not the consistency of the Ore-Ida Tater Tot I have in mind.
So, I have ideas and am soliciting opinions on the following recipe idea/technique:
1) Shred peeled potatoes (long, thin strands) and squeeze out as much water as possible,
2) Mix potatoes with maybe onion, garlic, parsley, S&P and some flour and a binding agent (egg?)
3) Lay out the mix in a bead on a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper and roll into a long strand to the diameter of a classic tater tot.
4) Unwrap the formed strand and bake for a period to set everything.
5) Cut the strand into tot-sized pieces and fry them until crisp.
The egg binder thing is troubling - is it needed? Don't want to end up with scrambled eggs, but with a light touch would this work??