The founder of Ore-Ida, Nephi Griggs, was “not one to waste anything, especially ‘product that has been purchased from the grower, stored for months, gone thru the peeling process, gone thru the specking lines and trimmed of all the defects, only to be eliminated into the cattle feed,’… So they got creative, smashed those bits together with some new machinery, blanched, formed, cooked in oil, and froze what would become their company’s namesake.” Read the whole origin story.Īnd I can’t reference tater tots without referencing this scene from Napoleon Dynamite…classic 😂! Tater tots were made from potato scraps that seemed unusable and so were fed to cattle. The Ore-Ida company was named after the location of the potato plant which is on the Oregon-Idaho border. So I went back to the internet for ideas and came across the fact that tater tots were created and perfected in a plant in Northeastern Oregon. I tried to make a berry buckle with hazelnut topping in the Instant Pot and it completely and utterly failed. It also is home to the Tillamook cheese factory. Oregon is known for its abundance of mushrooms, hazelnuts and marionberries. Today I could have chosen several food items to include. When I think of Oregon I think of Crater Lake, Tillamook Cheese, Haystack Rock, Nike, University of Oregon, Running Town USA and the Oregon Coast. ( See all the state recipes I’ve covered so far.) Today’s recipe is inspired by The Beaver State, Oregon. Instant Pot Tater Tot Casserole–the hot dish your mom used to make with ground beef, veggies and tater tots only it’s made in the Instant Pot instead of the oven.Įach week in 2020 I’m sharing a recipe inspired by one of the 50 states.

Bacon tater tot casserole crock pot