Duh. The first thing most people think of when they hear Minnesota eats is good ‘ol Tater Tot Hotdish. Another one, that might be a bit further down the list, is Rotel dip. We sure love our dips here in the Upper Midwest. Rotel dip is a fan favorite. Several weeks ago, I had the genius idea to mix them up. But it was warm out and comfort food was not as appetizing as usual.
Saturday evening it was chilly and rainy. I asked myself: Hey, why not give it a shot tonight? Turns out it was great timing. I made MN Mash Up Saturday night, and the leftovers made a perfect side to Sunday night’s grilled cheddar brats. Sunday was gorgeous and we spent it conquering our yard. My husband tackled the front yard’s leftover leaves and started digging out the overgrown grass bordering the sidewalk. Seriously, that needs to be done once a year from now on. It makes our yard look sharp again. Side note…you can use the excess grass and dirt to fill in holes your dogs have dug. I wish I didn’t have that side note. But we do. Ugh. They are lucky they are cute and so loving!
We also spent a good portion of the day playing with the dogs and had the neighbor’s pooches over for a doggy playdate. The kiddo had a buddy over, they played outside all day and only asked about video games once or twice, that’s gotta be a record of some sort! When the much younger neighbor kiddo skipped his way into the yard, the older boys played nicely with him and let him organize a zombie nerf war. It was a great day. It was also nice to have those leftovers so no wasting time INSIDE cooking. Nice weather? Give me a grill. I don’t want to be indoors.
The recipe is simple. It’s pretty self-explanatory. I used the rotel dip—pork sausage, rotel tomatoes, cream cheese and Bongards cheese to substitute for the ground beef and cream of mushroom soup. Bongards is better than Velveeta. Ask any central Minnesotan.
The biggest mistake people make with tater tot hotdish is not preparing the tots. Seriously. It is a dealbreaker. If you don’t air fry, then bake them. Do SOMETHING. If you do not, you are giving our prized hotdish a bad name. I air fry the tots in batches until golden and crispy.
Another yummy tidbit. When I brown the pork sausage for rotel dip I use Johnny Salt to add another layer of flavor explosion. But go light. It doesn’t take much to overpower your dish. I’ve learned the hard way. Ask my husband, he’ll tell ya all about it.
Enjoy the perfect weather folks!
