BACON WRAPPED TATER TOTS

My friend, Sue, recently asked me to bring an appetizer instead of dessert for the Dinner Club. I told her I would, but that I didn't do appetizer well. I don't usually eat appetizers because they are usually made with food that I don't like.  (I'm a picky eater.)  She told me that I could have the opportunity to make something I would like.

I searched and searched trying to find something that I wanted to make that I might eat. Finally the night before Dinner Club, Janice, told me what she always makes when she has to make an appetizer. Bacon wrapped tater tots.  

Sounded easy enough. 

The next morning I had to go to the grocery store because I didn't have either the bacon or the tater tots.  

All you need to make this is bacon and tater tots. Oh, and toothpicks.












Preheat the oven to 375  to  400 degrees F. (My oven cooks hot so I think 375 would have been better than the 400 degrees as some of mine got browner than I like.  No one complained though so maybe it is just me.)

Cut the bacon in half.

Cook the bacon for a little bit on each side.

Wrap a tater tot with a piece of bacon overlapping the ends 

and stick a toothpick in the ends to secure the ends.














TIP ALERT!
 
Allow the tater tots to sit out to lightly thaw or put in microwave for about 15 seconds to soften lightly.  If you try to do this with the tater tots straight from the freezer, you can't stick the toothpick into it.  (I learned this the hard way....Janice didn't clue me to that.)

Stand the bacon wrapped tater tot up on cookie sheet to bake.  Bake for about 20 minutes.

I considered leaving this picture out because you can see all the grease that cooked out of the bacon. But what would you expect from bacon.
So after I took them out of the oven, I removed them to a plate with several paper towels folded to soak up some of the excess grease.  I felt better then.

I served them with two dips, one a bacon horseradish dip and one a spicy mustard. As I said earlier, everyone enjoyed them and I even ate two of them.  









It is good to know that the next time I am asked to take an appetizer, I will have a good choice if I haven't discovered another good one.