If you’ve eaten the tater tot casserole at Truth BBQ in Brenham or Houston, you’ll know why it’s so important that Leonard Botello IV has given up the recipe.
Made with cheddar cheese, bacon and sour cream, Botello’s casserole really came together with the addition of Cajun seasoning.
“Tater tot dishes can be good, but sometimes will be a little bland from all the starches in there,” Botello says. “It needed a little spice and a little salt. We kept adding salt and then it became too salty. I was looking for something that could amplify that flavor profile without being overly salty. That ended up being Cajun seasoning. We were trying to step outside of the box a bit with that.”
Now that his take on it is perfected, tater tot casserole remains a morning meal for Botello, as it was when he was a kid eating his grandma’s version of the dish.
Leonard Botello IV‘s Truth Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb butter, melted
- 1 can cream of mushroom
- 6 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 2 cups of sour cream
- 1 can of rotel
- 1 cup white onion, diced
- 1 cup bacon, diced, rendered
- 1 bag frozen tater tots
Instructions:
- Bake tater tots per directions and mix with all ingredients and four cups of cheese.
- Pour into a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly. (About 30-40 minutes).
- Top with remaining cheese and cook an additional 15 minutes, using the broiler for the last five minutes or so to get a nice browned top.
- Let cool slightly before serving in order to let the casserole set up a bit.
https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/truth-bbq-tater-tot-casserole-recipe-and-more-bbq-news/