A Mexican-inspired appetizer made with seasoned, crunchy tater tots, layered with chili con queso cheese dip and chipotle sour cream in a cast iron skillet. Pure heaven!
1oz.pkg. Twisted Pepper Tex Mex Dip or Cheeseball Seasoning Mix, or use your favorite taco seasoning
2Tbs.packed dark brown sugar
1/2tsp.red pepper flakes
Canola or vegetable oilfor drizzling
1batch of your favorite Mexican cheese queso dipwarm
Creamy Chipotle Sauce
1/2cupsour cream
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
1 tsp. chipotle sauce
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl, combine the Twisted Pepper seasoning blend with the brown sugar and red pepper flakes; reserve.
Spread the tater tots over a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until golden brown, gently tossing the tater tots half way through the baking time.
Meanwhile, make the creamy chipotle sauce by combining the sour cream with the ranch dressing and the chipotle sauce in a small bowl; reserve.
When the tater tots are golden brown and crispy, remove from the oven, then drizzle them with a bit of oil, giving them a gentle toss to coat them on all sides; sprinkle the reserved seasoning/brown sugar blend over the tater tots; gently toss once more to combine with the seasonings.
Pile half of the warm seasoned hot tots into a large pre-heated oven-proof skillet (I love using my 12-inch cast iron skillet for this) or large pre-heated casserole dish.
Pour some of the warm cheese queso dip over the hot tots, as desired, creating a zig zag pattern; sprinkle with ciilantro, then repeat with the remaining tots and queso.
Drizzle the chipotle sauce over the top, then garnish the whole creation with additional cilantro over the top. Serve at once!!
**My family enjoys having extra warm cheese queso and creamy chipotle sauce on the side to dip their hot tots in.