Cacio e Pepe Tater Tots

DID YOU KNOW that tater tots were initially invented as a way to use up scraps left over in the industrial production of french fries?

1 hour cook

Serves 4

Hugh Woodward

Ingredients

What you'll need:

900gfrozen French fries

2 tbsppotato starch

70ggrated pecorino

70g grated parmesan

2 tbspfresh coarsely ground black pepper

1 tbspflaked sea salt

3 litresfrying oil

Neither did we. But it's true! Taking this scrap of useless information as inspiration, we thought what's the point in painstakingly grating loads of potatoes, squeezing out their horrid juice etc. Why not just smash some chips up and stick some stuff in them? That, friend, is how this recipe was born...

Method

Use a food processor to smash up the chips. It helps if they are partially defrosted. This should take a few pulses - don't blend them too much as you need them to be in small pea sized chunks to get the right texture.

Preheat your frying oil to 170°C

Mix in the starch, cheeses, pepper and salt.

Use your hands to squeeze them into small cylinders, then fry them in batches until they are crisp and deep golden brown.

Serve warm, grated with more cheese, with a marinara sauce to dip.