Football season is a great excuse to have a little fun in the kitchen. I love any occasion that calls for good food and good company.
My football season replays include buffalo chicken dip and homemade guacamole. (You can find those recipes at SomeKindaGood.com.) If I’m entertaining, I like to decide on what to serve as a main course first, such as a big pot of venison chili or BBQ pork sliders, then build the rest of the menu from there. I almost always bake something, like vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting, and add festive flair with team-colored sprinkles and football-themed toothpicks.
If you’re short on time, keep calm and carry on. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making a few things from scratch and combining them with some ready-to-serve items you pick up from the grocery store. Also, put those kitchen appliances to work. Enlist your slow cooker to help with the chili or pulled pork, and purchase the baked goods from a local bakery.
Whether you’re tailgating or watching the games at home this season, I’ve got a Some Kinda Good appetizer that’s easy to make and comes together quickly. Move over tortilla chips, there’s a new nacho vehicle in town!
Have you ever heard the term “tatchos”? It’s a sort of food trend that describes nachos made with tater tots as the base rather than tortilla chips. I first discovered tatchos at an Irish pub on Folly Beach, S.C. It was a cold evening, and there was something so comforting about the crispy potatoes topped with cheese and familiar toppings. If you’ve never tried them, there’s no time like the present.
The best thing about these tatchos is that you can make them in an oven or an air fryer, and serve them with chili on top or meatless. Make them your own, and make them Some Kinda Good.
Let’s go, Eagles!
Some Kinda Good Tatchos
● 2-pound bag of frozen tater tots
● 1 cup (or more, to taste) of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
● ½ medium onion, diced
● Pickled or fresh jalapenos, to taste
● Prepared chili
● Bacon bits
● Sour cream
● Fresh parsley
● Salt
● Other nacho toppings, as desired
Bake the tater tots according to package directions. Sprinkle with about a teaspoon of salt (or more, to taste) as soon as the tots come out of the oven.
Top the tater tots evenly with diced onion, chili and cheese, then pop them back into the oven until the cheese is hot and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Once the cheese has melted, take the tots out of the oven and add your desired toppings, such as sour cream, a sprinkle of fresh parsley and a few jalapenos to keep things spicy. Enjoy!
