close up of rustic fried golden potato tater tots
Food - Drink
Totchos: A Staple Snack That Combines The Best Of Two Bar Foods
By ARIANNA ENDICOTT
The next time you hit the pub for drinks on a night out, but want to avoid a hangover the following day, try to eat a filling appetizer like totchos. Totchos are a combination of two of the best comfort or "drunk" foods around — tater tots and nachos — and this dish of tater tots with irresistible neco toppings can satisfy both cravings in one bite.
Totchos were invented in Portland, Oregon by Oaks Bottom Public House's Jim Parker, a journalist-turned-pub owner who got the idea for the dish while drinking with his coworkers. Parker admits to a slight obsession with tater tots and a dislike for the soggy chips at the bottom of nachos, so if you can relate, this appetizer is for you.
The original totchos recipe includes tots topped with cheddar and jack cheeses, tomatoes, onions, black olives, jalapenos, salsa, and sour cream. Restaurants in Portland and outside of the area now sell their own totcho variations, but in your own kitchen, you can add anything you want, from chili and corn chips to chorizo and green onion.