Macheesmo

One question: Have you ever eaten warm guacamole? If you haven’t (I hadn’t really before I tried these), then I have good news for you. Guacamole can get even better.

Of course, I usually eat guacamole at room temperature like most humans. Or cold if I’m eating leftover guacamole (does such a thing even exist though?).

But warm guacamole turns even creamier and more delicious and the flavors are more pronounced. And don’t even worry about the chips if you try out these guacamole tots because you use the chips to bread the tots. So it’s really like a one-bite guacamole bundle of Tex-Mex perfection.

For some reason though, the phrase “hot guac” doesn’t really appeal to me so these are guacamole tots. ENJOY.

Guacamole Tots

by Nick

Serves:

Serves 4-6

Prep Time:

2 hrs

Total Time:

3 hrs

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Fried little bites of guacamole, queso fresco, and crumbled corn chips make for maybe the best Tex-Mex appetizer out there.

Ingredients

2 large ripe avocados

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 Serrano pepper, minced

2-3 oz. queso fresco, crumbled

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 qt. oil, for frying

Hot sauce, garnish

Lime juice, garnish

Breading:

2 large eggs, whisked

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

1/2 cup cornmeal

Instructions

1) In a large bowl, mash together avocados, onion, Serrano pepper, spices, cornmeal, and queso fresco.

2) Scoop guacamole into small rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you have used all the guacamole. Freeze guacamole balls for about at least 90 minutes until they are frozen.

3) Whisk eggs, and stir together finely crushed corn tortilla chips and cornmeal for the breading.

4) When guacamole is frozen, remove and dip each tot in egg, then coat well in the corn mixture. Return to the baking sheet and repeat with all the tots. Return to the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

5) Preheat oil to 350 degrees F. for frying.

6) Fry tots in batches for 4-5 minutes until tots are golden brown on the outside.

7) Let tots cool and drain on a few paper towels after they come out of the fryer. Drizzle with hot sauce and a squirt of lime and serve while warm!

Guacamole Tots

It Starts with Guac

The filling for these tots is a pretty basic guacamole with a few changes. For starters, I ditched the lime juice for the filling (but did add a spritz to the fried tots at the end). I was worried that the filling would get too watery.

I also added some cheese which I normally wouldn’t add to guacamole, but we are talking about fried things here so CHEESE PLEASE.

I also added some cornmeal right into the guacamole for a little extra texture and to thicken up the filling a bit.

Like any guacamole, it’s important to get rip avocados so they mash easily. Then just stir everything together in a large bowl. Resist the urge to eat it just like this.

Making the Tots

Here’s the bad news: You can’t just toss these in the fryer. They will fall apart. So portion the guacamole into small, rounded spoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze them until they are solid (90 minutes or so).

I really liked the breading for these guys. The eggs are standard, but for the crust I did a mix of crushed corn chips and corn meal. The crushed chips give lots of texture and the fine cornmeal fills in the gaps.

When the tots are frozen, dip them in the egg and then coat them well in the chip mixture.

The finished tots will have a beautiful corn chip crust on them!

Testing Testing

I recommend returning these to the freezer for a few minutes to harden, but you can fry them immediately if you want.

As always, I recommend doing a tester tot just to make sure they hold up for you.

Here was my tester and I knew I was in business!

Then you can fry the tots in larger batches at 350 degrees F for a few minutes. When the crust is golden brown, they are done!

Season the tots with some lime juice and hot sauce and you are in serious Tex-Mex business.

These are a bit involved, but they are SO delicious and a great appetizer treat for Tex-Mex lovers. Warm guacamole? Who knew?

Tot on, people!