Monica’s Bacon Up® Loaded Potato Tot Nacho Bar
 
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
  • Potato Tot Nachos
  • • Bacon Up® Bacon Grease*
  • • 1 bag (32-ounce) frozen potato tots
  • • 1 cup Chili with beans, homemade or canned
  • • 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese OR Queso
  • • 1 medium Red Onion, chopped
  • Garnish: Pickled Jalapeños (recipe follows), Sriracha Crema (recipe follows), chopped red onion, fresh cilantro
  • Pickled Jalapeños
  • • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • • ½ cup water
  • • 1 clove garlic, sliced
  • • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • • 4 jalapeños, sliced
  • Sriracha Crema
  • • ½ cup sour cream
  • • 2 tablespoons Sriracha
  • • 1 lime, juiced
  • • Flaked sea salt, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450°.
  2. To a large pot (or deep fryer), add enough Bacon Up® Bacon Grease to fry in. Heat to 375°.
  3. Slowly drop a basket of potato tots into the grease, and cook for 3 minutes.
  4. Drain tots onto a paper towel, season with salt and transfer to a cast-iron skillet or baking pan. Repeat until all tots are finished.
  5. Spread tots in a single layer, add heated chili** to the tots, and top with shredded Cheddar or drizzled queso.
  6. Place the skillet back into the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
  7. Garnish with Pickled Jalapeños, Sriracha Crema, red onion, cilantro and– OR set these toppings out in bowls and allow everyone to create their own customized “nacho tots.”
  8. Serve and enjoy!
  9. Pickled Jalapeños: In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, garlic, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. Add the sliced jalapeños to the pickling mixture, stirring well. Remove from heat, and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Transfer the jalapeños to a jar, and pour just enough liquid to cover. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
  10. Sriracha Crema: In a small bowl, mix sour cream, Sriracha, sea salt and lime juice. Let sit, unrefrigerated, for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Notes
*For baking or air frying, melt and toss to coat the tots in 2 tablespoons Bacon Up®!
If frying, we would recommend following the guidelines provided by the manufacturer. Many of the smaller, countertop fryers have a 6-cup capacity. If using a pot, the rule of thumb is that it should be at least 5” deep and then be filled with 3” of oil. Bacon Up® 14-ounce tubs are the equivalent of 2 cups of oil.

When baking with Bacon Up®!
• Preheat the oven to 450°.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of Bacon Up® on a cookie sheet.
• Layer the potato tots on the baking sheet, and toss around until well covered.
• Cook for 25-30 minutes or until crispy.
• Proceed to top and garnish with your favorites, as above.

**Make sure you heat up chili for best results.
Recipe by Taste of the South at https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/monicas-bacon-loaded-potato-tot-nacho-bar/