Confessional
March 9, 2006 :: Link :: Journal
Every now and then, I make a Startling Confession™ on this site, and I'm going to make one now. Brace yourselves.
I have lived my entire life in Northern Minnesota, and I have never once eaten Tater Tot hotdish.
There, I said it. Now, don't get me wrong, I've eaten plenty of hotdishes. Like most of my peers, I was pretty much raised on them. In West Duluth, the ubiquitous Chinese hotdish was all the rage, but we also routinely had spaghetti hotdish, as well as more generic egg-noodle-based hotdishes. My favorites were the ones that contained chicken and peas.
For those non-Midwesterners out there, a hotdish is a one-pot meal which contains meat, vegetables, and starch, held together by a sauce made from Campbell's cream soup, and baked in a casserole dish or similar vessel. Often, there is also a crunchy element sprinkled on top such as potato chips or french fried onions. My mom would usually top off her hotdishes with a handful of Wheaties.
Foodie snobs are probably recoiling in horror at this point, to which I say you need to read this. Then go buy some pizza rolls.
As I've previously mentioned on this site, in my late teens I became a vegetarian and remained one for 11 years. Which means that while I was learning to cook, I never made hotdishes or meatloaf or anything of that nature. And while I still love vegetarian food, I'm often suddenly struck by the awesome realization that I could make something traditional. Something delicious. Hot Effing Dish.
Anyway, all of my sources indicate that Tater Tot hotdish is the grandaddy of all hotdishes, and I'm ashamed I've never tried it. I'm feeling under the weather today, it's gross outside and I don't want to leave the house.
Hotdish night it is.
Comments
I shall give my favorite hotdish:
1lb Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
1 cup of Elbow Macaroni
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can of corn or peas(i prefer the corn)
Jeff
p.s. my east coast wife hates when it is my turn to cook and I make this....
Posted by: Jeff | March 9, 2006 4:49 PM
The secret to great Tater Tot Hotdish is Lawreys Seasoning Salt. Just sprinkle a bit on top of the tater tots before baking. Yum yum!
Posted by: gemini | March 9, 2006 8:51 PM
you bastard, you said you were watching tv tonight and you're really making a hotdish? son of a bitch.
i'm not sorry to say that i've never had tater tot hotdish. i prefer my tater tots in pure form, sans the nasty "mushroom" soup. you and your hotdish can go to hell.
Posted by: maria | March 10, 2006 1:00 AM
I lived in Duluth for the first 21 years of my life until I moved to New York. Several Christmases ago my mom gave me "The Great Minnesota Hot Dish" cookbook. My husband was stupefied. Hot dish??? And he has since fallen in love with most of the recipes.
I have yet to make him the Tater Tot Hotdish but guess what he's getting tomorrow night.
Posted by: Beret | March 10, 2006 5:02 AM
I've only had the green bean hotdish, as I also was vegie(still stay away from eating animals that are bigger than myself). I'm not even sure if it was the "real" green bean hotdish because I think it should have meat in it.
Posted by: Purple | March 10, 2006 10:46 AM
Funny story: I took the hotdish out of the oven, scooped it into a bowl, and said, "Oh. This. I've had this a million times."
I just had no idea that it contained tater tots, as they disintegrate and become more hashbrown like. Anyway, it's still been at least 15 years since I'd eaten it, and it was fantastic.
Maria, a person can make hotdish, then watch TV while eating it. The beauty of hotdish is that it takes about five minutes to prepare.
Gemini, I;d never ADD salt to something that contains Campbell's soup. Next time, I'll probably use the Healthy Request version, because while it was delicious, it was a little too salty for my tastes.
Posted by: Barrett | March 10, 2006 12:38 PM
Just a casserole where I'm from.
Posted by: galadriel | March 11, 2006 11:49 PM
gross is exactally how i described the weather today. i want it to go away.
Posted by: sam | March 12, 2006 11:58 PM
elbow macaroni
onions
SPAM
cream of chicken soup
salt and pepper
velveeta
Can you tell I'm from Superior?
Posted by: laurie | March 13, 2006 9:21 AM
yeah, we just call 'em casseroles or covered dishes here (tx).
here's a cultural question for you: after a funeral (or sometimes before), do people bring food to the home(s) of the next-of-kin in minnesota?
Posted by: wix | March 16, 2006 11:22 AM
The difference between a casserole and a hotdish is that a hotdish must contain meat, starch, and soup. A casserole can be anything prepared in a casserole dish. For example, Au Gratin potatoes can be considered a casserole, but it is decidedly not a hotdish.
I remember when I was about 8 and my friend's sister died, my mom made some food and instructed me to bring it to the family, and then to leave right away. I think people in MN give food after a death or during any type of hardship. It's not necessarily connected to the funeral. After my grandpa's funeral there was a buffet-style potluck at the All-American Club (think VFW).
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