Tater tots. Even the name evokes an immediate smile, not to mention joyful memories of being a child.
That’s more than enough reason to stash a bag in your freezer at all times.
Another?
This recipe for “Tater Tots Tossed in Hot Date! Butter.”
As always, they get baked in the oven until super crunchy all over. Then, the magic happens: They get tossed in a garlicky, herbaceous butter with dried dates to boot.
The recipe is from “Hot Date!” (Chronicle Books, 2025), of which I received a review copy.
It’s by Brooklyn-based Rawaan Alkhatib, a cook, writer, and artist of Palestinian and Indian descent. She even illustrated the book with her own exuberant watercolor paintings.
It is indeed everything you’d ever want to know about dates — its many varieties, how they grow, how to best store them, and of course, how to showcase them in a variety of recipes.
Enjoy them in everything from “Date & Tahini Granola,” “13-Hour Lamb with Date and Feta Relish,” and “Red Lentil Soup with a Date Molasses Drizzle” to “Chocolate Sorbet with Warm Salted Dates” and “Palm Springs Date Shake.”
For these tater tots, make the easy compound butter first by combining softened butter with grated garlic, grated Parmesan, your choice of herbs, a splash of olive oil, and three Medjool dates. Alkhatib instructs to mash everything together, but I took the even easier way out and pulsed everything in a food processor. It makes quick work of it, so I added that option to the recipe.
Taste a little bit of the butter and adjust the seasonings, if need be.
Alkhatib tosses the tater tots with a little optional garlic powder before baking. Because the compound butter is very garlicky already, I omitted the garlic powder and believe me, it was not missed. But if you are a garlic fiend, by all means, add it.
Bake the tater tots in the oven on a large baking sheet, so that there’s plenty of room for the heat to circulate around them to ensure maximum crispiness.
Transfer the tots to a bowl. Melt the compound butter, pour over, and toss them to coat.
What you end up with are crunchy little potato nuggets punched up with the taste of pungent garlic, nutty cheese, and vibrant herbs. To me, the dates were almost imperceptible, offering up the merest sweetness to round out the garlic. So, next time, I think I’ll add an extra date or two to pump it up more.
These blingy tater tots would make a great side dish to most anything.
Or just enjoy them by the handful with an ice-cold beer and you can’t go wrong.
Tater Tots Tossed in Hot Date! Butter
(Serves 6 to 8, depending on hunger levels and availability of other snacks)
2 pounds frozen tater tots
2 teaspoons garlic powder (optional)
5 tablespoons Hot Date! Butter (recipe follows)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
In a large bowl, toss the tater tots with the garlic powder (if using), then spread the tots in a single layer on a baking sheet. Be sure to leave room for hot air to circulate around each tot — you may need two baking sheets to achieve this. Bake until the tots are deeply golden and crispy, 35 to 40 minutes (or follow the package instructions).
Just before the tots are done, in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave, gently heat the butter until it begins to melt. Remove the cooked tots from the oven and transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle over the tots and toss vigorously until they are coated and smell delicious. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm. Have fun.
Hot Date! ButterTater
(Makes one 4-ounce log compound butter)
5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 fat garlic cloves, grated with a Microplane or very finely minced
3 Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped (or to taste)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large handful finely chopped soft fresh herbs (parsley, chives, scallion greens, ramps)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, mash together the butter, oil, garlic, dates, Parmesan, herbs, lemon zest, salt, and a good grind of pepper. Or conversely, place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until everything is combined and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You can use this butter right away — the olive oil will keep it spreadable at room temperature — or store it for later by rolling it tightly into a parchment paper log (twist the ends like you’re wrapping a piece of candy) and chilling it in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you’d like to keep it for longer, you can freeze the butter; just be sure to completely wrap the parchment log in plastic wrap so it doesn’t get freezer burn.
Adapted from “Hot Date!” by Rawaan Alkhatib
And: Butter Up, Part I: Something Fishy — And Delicious
Plus More Tater Tot Recipes to Enjoy: Tater Tot Egg Bake
And: Salt and Pepper Tater Tots
Also More Date Recipes to Try: Cucumber, Dates, Pistachios
And: Raw Kale Salad with Anchovy-Date Dressing
And: Syrian Kale and Carrot Salad with Shattered Dates
And: Braised Beef Short Ribs with Orange Peel, Dates, and Pistachios