Tatter Tots with Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

500ml tatter tots

6 strips streaky back

For the Cheese Sauce:

30g butter

30ml flour

250ml whole milk

375ml fresh grated cheddar cheese

Sea salt and white pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Line a baking dish with baking paper and spread the tater tots in one layer. When cooking larger amounts, if you want them to be crispy, don’t stack them, only do a single layer.

Bake for 20 minutes, check them at this point and stir them around a little. Bake longer if necessary. Remove from the oven when done.

To prepare the bacon:

While the taters are baking, cook the bacon bits. Chop the bacon sliced into pieces about 1/4 inch wide and place them into a frying pan. Cook over medium then low heat. While they are cooking, use a wooden spoon or tongs to stir and separate all the bits. When they are crispy use tongs to move them onto a plate that is lined with paper towels to absorb the fat. Set aside.

To prepare the Cheddar Cheese Sauce:

While the bacon and tater tots are cooking make the cheese sauce.

Grate the cheddar cheese. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook about one minute. Slowly whisk in the milk. Stir and cook for about 4-5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and add the grated cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. This make a very thick sauce, if you want it thinner, just a little more milk.

Assembly:

Transfer the cooked tater tots into a serving dish. Spoon on a generous amount of cheese sauce. Sprinkle the bacon bits on top.