Idaho® Potato Crab Tots Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 pound cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
- 1⁄4 cup heavy cream
- 1⁄4 cup minced fresh cilantro
- 1⁄4 cup chopped green onion
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon puréed chipotle pepper
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons Tabasco® sauce
- 3 pounds frozen shredded Idaho® hash-brown potatoes (¾-in. shreds)
- 1 pound backfin, special or claw crab meat, roughly chopped into ¾-in. pieces
- 1 pound peeled bay shrimp, roughly chopped into ¾-in. pieces
- 3 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Peanut or canola oil for frying
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet Thai chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon chipotle purée
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
- In medium bowl, blend cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Mix in Cheddar cheese, cream, cilantro, green onion, garlic, chipotle and Tabasco® sauce. Fold in hash-brown potatoes, crab, shrimp and breadcrumbs; blend thoroughly.
- To form each tot, roll generous tablespoon of potato mixture into ball; mold into cylindrical "tot" shape by gently squeezing sides. Spread shaped tots on sheet pans; refrigerate at least 1 to 2 hours before cooking (or freeze just until solid before cooking).
- Heat oil in deep fryer to 375°F. Working in small batches, deep-fry tots until deep golden and crispy, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack over paper towel to drain. Repeat with remaining tots in small batches. (Alternately, drizzle tots with oil and bake at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes, turning after 10 minutes.)
- Transfer warm tots to serving plates; lightly drizzle with Chipotle Aïoli. Serve remaining aïoli on the side. (Alternately, serve with Chipotle Aïoli on the side, as shown in photo.)
- For aïoli, combine mayonnaise, chili sauce, chipotle, lime juice and cilantro in food processor; purée. Refrigerate until needed or up to 3 days.