With Labor Day just around the corner, the end of summer is near. Oh, sure, there are many great things coming, like football season with tailgating parties, Halloween with tons of candy, costumes & pumpkins, then Thanksgiving & Christmas celebrations, but the end of summer always makes me a little sad. Even when I am relieved to see the end of the hotter & drier than normal weather. All that aside, my focus this week is to suggest some tasty & fun dishes for Labor Day weekend celebrations and totchos fit the bill!

Being a potato lover, I’ve always been a fan of tater tots, but my family found them boring. That’s what happens when they are just baked & served with ketchup. Tater tots lost their “boring” label in our house when we had them in the breakfast casserole our niece, Amanda makes. I realized there were many other inventive & surprising ways to prepare tater tots when I stumbled across totcho recipes. Totchos – tater tots dressed like nachos – hit the foodie scene a few years ago, but it took Amanda’s breakfast casserole to finally convince my family to give tater tots another try. This version of totchos uses corn on the cob, making it perfect for the end of summer gatherings, before the last of the fresh corn disappears.

Mexican Corn Totchos

Mexican Corn Totchos (adapted from kraftrecipes.com)

Prep Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 45 minutes, Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 1 32-ounce bag tater tots
• 4 ears corn on the cob, silks removed but husks still on
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro

Directions:

Soak the corn in the husks for 30 minutes in a bowl of water. Heat the grill to medium heat and grill the corn in the husks for about 10 minutes, turning the ears a few times.

The corn takes about 10 minutes to cook on the grill.

Remove the corn from the grill and when it is cool enough to handle, remove the husks and cut the kernels off the cob. Place them in a medium bowl and set the corn aside.

Use a pairing knife to cut the kernels off the cobs.

Cook the tater tots according to the package directions.

While the tater tots are cooking, add 4 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese to the corn along with the mayo, lime juice, and red pepper. Mix it all together lightly.

Cook the tater tots as the package instructs & mix up the corn topping.

When the tots are done, transfer them to a serving platter and spoon the corn mixture over them. Top the dish with the cilantro and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Tater tots plus spicy corn in a creamy sauce is a great side dish!

This is a great dish for Labor Day & the end of summer celebrations!  ~Linda

Mexican Corn Totchos (adapted from kraftrecipes.com)

Prep Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 45 minutes, Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 1 32-ounce bag tater tots
• 4 ears corn on the cob, silks removed but husks still on
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro

Directions:

Soak the corn in the husks for 30 minutes in a bowl of water. Heat the grill to medium heat and grill the corn in the husks for about 10 minutes, turning the ears a few times. Remove the corn from the grill and when it is cool enough to handle, remove the husks and cut the kernels off the cob. Place them in a medium bowl and set the corn aside.

Cook the tater tots according to the package directions.

While the tater tots are cooking, add 4 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese to the corn along with the mayo, lime juice and red pepper. Mix it all together lightly. When the tots are done, transfer them to a serving platter and spoon the corn mixture over them. Top the dish with the cilantro and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.