Cheesy Jalapeno Tater Tots

This easy jalapeno tater tot recipe only has four ingredients. It's the ultimate party food, and perfect for watching the game!

Having kids is great for a lot of reasons, but one of the little-discussed perks of being a parent is having an excuse to eat tater tots on a regular basis. Show me an adult who doesn't admit a fondness for tater tots, and I'll show you a liar.

There was a time, years ago, when I would just make tater tots for the kids. My husband and I would sit in sad silence while praying that the girls wouldn't finish all of their tater tots so we could score some. (That never happened, by the way).

We've since gotten over ourselves, and now fully admit to loving tater tots just as much as the kids do. On tater tot night, I make a big ol' tray full of tater tots for the whole family, and I have no qualms about fighting a 7-year-old for the last one.

Tater tots are delicious on their own, but over the summer I had a tater tot experience that elevated them from kid fare to delicacy.

At Irv's pub in Hershey, PA we had tater tot nachos. The term nachos was a little misleading because they tasted more like jalapeno poppers to me. The tots were covered in a blend of cheddar cheese and sour cream, and topped with pickled jalapenos.

More tater tot appetizers: Tater Tot Smoked Salmon Cups

How to make cheesy jalapeno tater tots:

1. Bake a sheet pan full of frozen tater tots according to package instructions.
2. Once they are fully cooked, remove the pan from the oven.
3. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese generously over the tater tots, and put them back into the oven until the cheese has melted.
4. Scrape the cooked tater tots and melty cheese mixture into a bowl.
5. Add several dollops of sour cream and a large handful of drained, pickled jalapenos. Gently stir to combine and serve immediately.

Tater tot cooking tip:

Nothing is worse than an under-cooked tater tot. To ensure that your baked tater tots are crisp, make sure you cook the tater tots right before you plan to serve them, and cook them WELL.

You might also want to drizzle a little oil into the pan to up the crisp factor. The tots should be really nice and crisp for this recipe so that the sour cream doesn't make them soggy.

This is a perfect football-watching food, and it's easy to throw together at the last minute...my favorite kind of appetizer! I'm pretty sure anyone you make these for will love you forever.