Let it be known that while I want to love all that is sports, I am fairly lost on most of it. I know the key players, and I know the basics. However, when it comes to my snacks, appetizers, and desserts, my game is strong.
I love twitter. It makes understanding what just happened possible for someone like myself. This year the Super Bowl was on. I was invested. I still checked my phone for a head’s up. Sometimes, you need to enlist the resources that make sense out of the world around you. There is no shame in following the NFL or the New England Patriots accounts. It makes me feel better about the fact that sometimes…I just missed whatever it was that happened. Yay team. Do the thing.
Combine major sports with Library Cookbook Book Club. I know- trust me there is a connection. Every month our club has either a theme or a specific cookbook from which to choose a recipe. We prepare, and share the final product in a round table fashion and review how the recipe worked, what we changed, etc. It’s a really fun monthly event for your adventurous cook.
This past month the book was “The Hungry Fan’s Game Day Cookbook” by Daina Falk. Well worth the read. So many options to up your game day table. My selection, TACHOS. Tater tots, beer based queso, spicy chorizo…need I say more?
We have never had tater tots in my house the six years we’ve lived here. So, indulgent…I will cave to make this recipe again. Now, I doubled this recipe right off the bat. It filled a good sized casserole pan, which would be perfect for a sports party. I did not make my own salsa, I could not find the beer or the pepper in the recipe, but I did substitute a milder pepper, fresh store made salsa, and a great dark ale and the world was set to right.
Other than making the queso- which was really easy, this recipe will call people back for more and over all it was simple to put together. I would highly recommend…and I didn’t even need twitter to walk me through the steps. That, my friends, is a win.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!
Chrissy
Tachos and Twitter
Crispy tater tots covered in a dark beer queso, chorizo, green onions, sour cream. There will be no leftovers!!
Ingredients
- 6 ounces Chorizo, diced
- 1/2 Cup dark beer (original recipe calls for Negra Modelo…I used Dogfish Head Ale Dark IPA)
- 16 ounces Extra Sharp Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Serrano Pepper (I used a Poblano) seeds and veins removed, chopped
- 1 4 ounce can of diced green chiles, drained
- 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
- 2 Cups Tater Tots
- 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
- 1/4 Cup Salsa
- 1 Tablespoon freshly minced Cilantro
- Pepper (optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, cook the disced chorizo until crisp and fat is rendered. Transfer cooked chorizo to a paper towel lined plate to drain and discard the rendered fat.
- Pour beer into the same saucepan (I did not wash between chorizo and beer phase) and heat for five minutes, to reduce just a bit.
- Reduce heat to low, add cheese and stir until it has melted into the beer.
- Once the cheese has fully melted, add fresh pepper, diced green chiles, 1 Tablespoon of green onions, and half of the chorizo.
- Simmer sauce on the stovetop for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
- Cook tater tots in a preheated oven according to directions, making sure they are their crispiest.
- Arrange tater tots in container, top with cheese sauce, remainder of chorizo, add salsa and sour cream, cilantro, and green onions.
- Add ground pepper if desired, serve immediately.