Get ready to revolutionize your potato game with our incredible recipe for crispy
Picture this: tender potatoes, creamy cheese, and a perfect blend of seasoning all rolled into one bite-sized nugget of deliciousness. It’s the ultimate combination that’ll have you reaching for more before you know it!
And the best part? These potato nuggets are beyond simple to put together. With just a handful of ingredients and a few easy steps, you’ll have a batch of homemade nuggets that’ll rival anything you can find at your favorite restaurant.
So whether you’re serving them up as a tasty appetizer, a side dish, or a fun snack for the whole family, get ready to be amazed by the sheer deliciousness of these potato nuggets. Trust us, once you try them, you’ll never look at potatoes the same way again!
Table of Contents
Prepare these yummy potato bites and serve them for a crowd or simply make them as a side dish for dinner. It is unlikely you will have any leftovers because your whole family is going to be begging for seconds.
What kind of potatoes to use for this recipe
We use yellow potatoes, also known as Yukon gold potatoes, for this crowd-pleasing recipe. Golden potatoes are the most versatile potato and can be used for any recipe. They have a firm texture, remain moist when cooked, and have a moderate amount of starch in them.
We absolutely love them for this recipe because they combine well with the sour cream and shredded cheese and fry up easily! They also cook quickly and don’t dry out the same way that russet potatoes tend to.
Seasoning this recipe
There is nothing quite as good as the combination of sour cream, shredded cheese and potato. But adding some simple spices really takes this recipe up a notch!
To get the perfect flavor out of these scrumptious potato nuggets, we season with the following spices:
- Salt is a staple in every recipe we make, but especially important when cooking potatoes. Potatoes are a starch, and if not seasoned properly they can taste pretty bland. Adding salt helps to draw out the natural flavors of the ingredients in this recipe, and makes it all the more delicious!
- Pepper is another staple we use in all of our recipes. It is warming, but not spicy, and helps to round out the flavors of the ingredients that it is cooking with. There are many types of pepper, but we personally love to use black pepper!
- Paprika is commonly found in a lot of our recipes here at Food Dolls. There are tons of different kinds of paprika from all over the world, but the most common are sweet paprika, smoked paprika, and hot paprika. The method of making paprika, also called Pimentón, originated in Hungary. Paprika is made by smoking various types of peppers over an open fire, drying them then grinding them up into a spice.
- Garlic Powder is an amazing spice to keep on hand and we love using it for this recipe! The reason we use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic is to help maintain the smooth texture of this dish. It has the same beloved flavor as garlic, but is more shelf stable and it is easy to incorporate into recipes.
Our seasoning blend for this recipe is super straightforward, but really helps to draw out the natural good-ness of this dish. It’s amazing that with just four spices you can make flavor magic!
How to make potato nuggets
First, prepare your potato “batter”
- Peel Yukon gold potatoes and cut them into slices.
- Place the potatoes in a pot of water, making sure they are fully covered with water.
- Bring the pot up to a boil and cook the potatoes for about 12 minutes, or until they are easy to pierce with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl.
- Add sour cream, freshly shredded Colby Jack cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder to the bowl. Mash the cream, cheese, and seasonings up using a potato masher or a fork. Mash until the texture is fully smooth
Next, shape your potato nuggets!
- Scoop some of the potato mixture into your hand and form them into nuggets. We like to use a small ice cream scooper or tablespoon to get them all to be the same size.
- Place the shaped nuggets onto a parchment-lined sheet pan or baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Note: You can assemble these in advance and leave them refrigerated overnight. Just make sure you cover them if you are going to leave them in the fridge for longer than 30 minutes to prevent oxidation.
Lastly, cook your nuggets.
- When you are ready to make them, dip each potato nugget in panko bread crumbs and set aside.
- Place the nuggets in an
air fryer at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Flip halfway through! - When they are golden and crispy, they are done.
How to make the dip for this recipe
When it comes to dipping these flavor-packed potato nuggets, we like to keep things simple yet satisfying. All you need to do is whip up a quick and easy dip by combining:
- Combine 2-parts ketchup and 1-part mayonnaise in a small bowl.
- Mix thoroughly until they are smooth and a light pink color!
- Serve with the potato nuggets.
Crispy Air Fryer Potato Nuggets
Ingredients
- 4 medium yellow potatoes
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- 1/3 rd cup freshly shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup panko Japanese bread crumbs
Dip:
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
- Peel yukon gold potatoes and cut them into slices.4 medium yellow potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a pot of water, making sure they are fully covered with water.
- Bring the pot up to a boil and cook the potatoes for about 12 minutes, or until they are easy to pierce with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl.
- Add sour cream, freshly shredded Colby Jack cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder to the bowl. Mash the cream, cheese, and seasonings up using a potato masher or a fork. Mash until the texture is fully smooth.2 Tablespoons sour cream, 1/3 rd cup freshly shredded Colby Jack cheese, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Scoop some of the potato mixture into your hand and form them into nuggets. We like to use a small ice cream scooper or tablespoon to get them all to be the same size.
- Place the shaped nuggets onto a parchment lined sheet pan or baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.1 cup panko Japanese bread crumbs
- When you are ready to make them, dip each potato nugget in panko bread crumbs and set aside.
- Place the nuggets in an air fryer at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Flip halfway through! When they are golden and crispy, they are done.
- Combine ketchup and mayonnaise in a small bowl.1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- Mix thoroughly until they are smooth and a light pink color!
- Serve with the potato nuggets.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I freeze them as well?
Certainly, you can follow the prep instructions and place the tots in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze them. After they are frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer bag. When you are ready to cook them, follow the original instructions, but you may need to increase the cooking time by a few minutes.
Could I bake these instead?
Absolutely! Bake at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure to flip half way through!