You Should Definitely Make Sticky Honey Tots in Your Air Fryer

Photo: Claire Lower

Potatoes are easily manipulated. Slice, dice, mash, fry, boil, bake—they will all create a completely different dish, and you can achieve a wide variety of flavors and textures without too much work on your part. Take the tater tot and french fry, for example: Both are fried, but it’s the stuff that happens before the frying that makes them who they are.

I wouldn’t say I prefer tots to fries—it’s hard to prefer anything to a crisp, golden french fry—but I do appreciate the tot’s adaptability. Tater tots can be Buffalo’d and waffled, and their nubby texture means they hold on to sauces better than any other spud in the game. So when I saw a Food52 recipe for Sticky Honey Potato Wedges, I thought “Why not tots?”

The original recipe is beautiful as is, but cooking a raw russet takes many more minutes than air frying some pre-fried tater tots. All you have to do is cook the tots until they’re crisp (which takes 10 minutes max), toss them with the honey and olive oil mixture, then pop ‘em back in for a few more minutes to let the honey form a thick, sticky sheen on the potatoes.

You can season your honey however you see fit, and scale it up to fit your portion of tots, but stick to a ratio of one part olive oil and two parts honey. For seasonings, I like a pinch of MSG, a little bit of cayenne, and lots of fresh pepper; but, again, you should feel free to get creative.

How to make sticky honey tots

Ingredients:

Heat the air fryer to 400℉. While it’s heating, mix all ingredients except your tater tots together in a small bowl. Cook tots in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes until they are browned and crispy. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Whisk the honey mixture on last time to make sure everything is evenly distributed, then drizzle the honey mixture over the tots and gently toss to coat. Return to the 400-degree air fryer for 3 more minutes, until the honey thickens. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

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