1 head of cauliflower
2 eggs
¼ cup all-purpose flour*
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
oil, in a spray bottle
1. Grate the head of cauliflower with a box grater or finely chop it in a food processor. You should have about 3½ cups. Place the chopped cauliflower in the center of a clean kitchen towel and twist the towel tightly to squeeze all the water out of the cauliflower. (This can be done in two batches to make it easier to drain all the water from the cauliflower.)
2. Place the squeezed cauliflower in a large bowl. Add the eggs, flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shape the cauliflower into small cylinders or “tater tot” shapes, rolling roughly one tablespoon of the mixture at a time. Place the tots on a cookie sheet lined with paper towel to absorb any residual moisture. Spray the cauliflower tots all over with oil.
3. Pre-heat the air fryer to 400°F.
4. Air-fry the tots at 400ºF, one layer at a time for 10 minutes, turning them over for the last few minutes of the cooking process for even browning. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Serves: 6 to 8
Want to lighten up your favorite tater tots? Just use cauliflower instead of potato, and then air-fry instead of deep-frying.
These little tots freeze really well, so you can make them well in advance. Freeze them raw on a cookie sheet and then proceed with steps 3 and 4 when you’re ready. You can also freeze them after they have been air-fried and just re-heat them in your air fryer at 350ºF for 6 minutes. If you would like this snack a little cheesier, substitute grated Cheddar cheese for the Parmesan cheese. Yum!