3 weeks Ago
Important context up front: Hotdish is a Midwestern casserole-type meal that typically combines a protein and veggie mix in a creamy sauce, and most importantly, it's always topped with tater tots. It's basically the unofficial dish of Minnesota. Like, Minnesotans can't get enough of it.
Bizarrely enough, this also isn't the first time the beloved dish has come up in the context of politics. Back when Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar campaigned for president in 2020, she held a series of "Hotdish House Parties" for Minnesota voters, featuring her family's special hotdish recipe at each one.
But whether you're pro- or anti-hotdish, I think we can all agree that it looks like food is already shaping up to be a recurring theme for the Harris-Walz campaign. Between Walz's viral "white guy tacos" comment and his landmark universal free lunch program in his home state, it's clear he definitely shares Vice President Kamala Harris's love for all things food. ( Cooking with Kamala , I'll never forget you.
) Naturally, Walz's viral "Turkey Trot Tater-Tot" hotdish recipe has been worming its way into my brain ever since I laid eyes on it, so it didn't take long until I found myself frantically scribbling out a grocery list and running to the grocery store to grab everything I needed to try it at home. As someone who's never tried a hotdish before, I was simply too intrigued not to try it — so intrigued, in fact, that I broke all my rules and used my oven on a 90o day with suspect air conditioning. All in all, the ingredients I bought clocked in at around $35, which ain't cheap for a single meal.
But considering the fact that this recipe made at least eight servings (and that's a conservative guess), just over $4 per serving doesn't seem outlandish to me. From beginning to end, here's how I made Walz's famous hotdish (including a few important liberties I took) so you can try it yourself..
.if you're brave enough, that is. Spoiler alert: This dish, while violently Midwestern, was surprisingly a 10.
Once cooled, drain thoroughly and add them to your baking dish, on top of the cooked turkey mixture. After two minutes, you'll add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and your chopped onions to the sauce. I was feeling rather suspect about the raw onions (no sautéing first?!), but can confirm it all worked out nicely in the end.
STEP #8: Carefully slide the extremely heavy baking dish into your pre-heated 375oF oven and bake it for 45 minutes, or until the tots are golden brown and the filling is bubbly and piping hot. I doubted Walz at this point, thinking there was no way in hell it would take 45 minutes to cook, but I was, once again, wrong. Truth be told, the green beans were perfectly cooked after 45 minutes and still had some nice texture to them — which strikes me as a potential reason that Walz opted for fresh veggies over frozen or canned.
My husband and I both had it for lunch the day I made it, fresh out of the oven. We also had it for dinner, and even served it to a friend of ours who was visiting (she loved it!). The next day, I had leftovers for lunch.
..and the day after that, I also had a hotdish lunch.
All this to say: It's really, really good. If you try this recipe yourself, let me know what you think of it in the comments. And if we get word of a Harris vs.
Walz "Turkey-Off" as November swiftly approaches — Kamala HQ, I'm begging you to make this happen — this won't be the last you'll hear from me re: the 2024 election and poultry. 🫡.
