gfe--gluten free easily

Living gluten free easily by eating real food and a few gf processed foods

Paleo Sweet Potato Bacon Tater Tots

Share on Pinterest
For affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you’re not familiar with Jennifer Robins of Predominantly Paleo, you’re in for a surprisingly delicious treat today! If you do already follow Jennifer and love her recipes, you’ll be very happy to get another great one. Jennifer and Page Street Publishing are sharing gluten-free and paleo Sweet Potato Bacon Tater Tots from her new cookbook, The Paleo Kids Cookbook for a Lifetime of Healthy Eating.  (Note:  I was provided a complimentary copy of her cookbook for review, but no other compensation.)

Whether or not you're currently a tater tots fan, you are sure to love these Paleo Sweet Potato Bacon Tater Tots. The combination of flavors and textures are divine! [featured on GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

Hey, even this big kid loves this recipe! Admittedly, I am one of those odd souls who do not normally go nuts over tater tots, but I know lots of you do flips over “all things tater tot” and I’m pretty sure you will enjoy this version even more than standard tater tots.

Jennifer simply calls them Sweet Potato Bacon Tots and I know that saying Sweet Potato Bacon Tater Tots is redundant, but I want to make it clear that these are a sweet potato and bacon version of the much loved Tater Tots.

Subtitled “Transition Your Family to Delicious Grain- and Gluten-free Food for a Lifetime of Healthy Eating,” this new cookbook is Jennifer’s third cookbook. Her first was Down South Paleo:  Delectable Southern Recipes Adapted for Gluten-free, Paleo Eaters. Her second cookbook was The New Yiddish Kitchen: Gluten-Free and Paleo Kosher Recipes for the Holidays and Everyday, which she co-authored with Simone Miller (Zenbelly). Her fourth cookbook is Paleo Cooking with Your Instant Pot 80 Incredible Gluten-Free and Grain-Free Recipes Made Twice As Delicious in Half the Time. 

The Paleo Kids Cookbook by Jennifer Robins [featured on GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

Clearly, Jennifer is prolific in her recipe and cookbook creation! Even more impressive is the fact that her cookbooks have been bestsellers and all of them garner 5 stars on Amazon.

When we spend the money to add cookbooks to our collections, we want to know that they are worth the purchase, so that’s very important information. You’ll want to read the reviews yourself and use the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon as well to see if these are cookbooks are right for your personal kitchen.

One of the things I love about Jennifer is how caring she is about the food allergy community. She goes above and beyond to create really fantastic recipes that work for as many as possible. All the recipes in The Paleo Kids Cookbook are gluten free, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free, peanut free, soy free, and shellfish free. Many of them are also egg free and nut free—as today’s recipe for Sweet Potato Bacon Tots is.

A good percentage of these recipes are also naturally vegetarian. I mention that because so often “paleo” cookbooks are meat focused (or thought to be meat focused). Certain vegetables and fruits can be a very important component of a healthy paleo diet and one would certainly not have to be paleo to appreciate the 100 terrific recipes in this cookbook!

Jennifer says: “My goal is to bridge the gap between what kids love and what we’d actually love to feed them.” That’s an admirable goal for sure—one many of us have—and Jennifer really accomplishes it in this cookbook.

Recipes like Allergy-Friendly Waffles, French Toast Sticks, Silver Dollar Chocolate Chip Pancakes, “Corn” Dog Dippers, Crispy Sweet Potato Fish Sticks, Paleo Piggies, Banana Pudding, Graham Crackers, S’mores, and Funnel Cakes—all made with healthy ingredients—demonstrate that, but I also see Jennifer feeding her family this way via her blog and Facebook posts. They’re always smiling and happy and there’s no surprise there! (Note: You can find another recipe from this cookbook, her Paleo Piggies (aka Paleo Pigs in a Blanket), on gfe.)

Jennifer shares in her book that she was like most other parents not that long ago, feeding her kids fairly traditional fare and thinking that they were all “pretty healthy.” When she would express concern about some of their symptoms, she was told “some kids just have this” or there’s “nothing to worry about there.”

It was only when she made changes to her own diet—and, therefore, her family’s diet—and saw improvement in her own health, that she saw that there was room for a lot of improvement in their health as well. Soon she saw that improvement, when symptoms like stomach aches, enlarged lymph nodes, congestion, and snoring disappeared.

Regarding the latter, Jennifer’s older daughter had been diagnosed with sleep apnea at age 5. They’d been told that surgery to resolve the issue would be in her daughter’s future. However, after her family changed their diet, her daughter no longer had any of those issues.

Jennifer shares in her book: “I am not recommending that you impersonate a healthcare practitioner, throw caution to the wind and start creating your own potions and elixirs. I do believe, however, that food has the incredible power to strengthen our immune systems, to nourish us, and to heal us in a variety of ways.” I think all of us who have changed our own diets and experienced better health as a result can agree with that.

Giveaway of The Paleo Kids Cookbook and Cassava Flour

UPDATE:  This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to the winners! Thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway. If you didn’t win, you can purchase The Paleo Kids Cookbook and Otto’s Cassava Flour on your own, of course. (I highly recommend both! Be sure to subscribe to gfe so you don’t miss any future giveaways (or terrific gluten-free recipes)!

There will be two winners of The Paleo Kids Cookbook. There will be one winner of Otto’s Cassava Flour, which is one of the ingredients that Jennifer uses in some of her recipes in this cookbook. (FYI:  Otto’s Naturals doesn’t know me/gfe. This part of the giveaway is solely sponsored by gfe.)

Paleo Sweet Potato Bacon Tater Tots Recipe

Jennifer has a special affinity for the combination of sweet potato and bacon, so she has several other recipes using this especially wonderful ingredient duo on her blog:  Bacon Sweet Potato Waffles, Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries, Bacon, Caramelized Onion, and Sweet Potato Perogies, and, my own personal favorite of these recipes, Pecan Pie with Bacon Crust and Caramel Drizzle (yes, there is a sweet potato factor in this one as well). And now without further ado, here are those Paleo Sweet Potato Bacon Tater Tots that you’re sure to love. I sure do!

Yield: 4 servings

Paleo Sweet Potato Bacon Tater Tots

From Jennifer: “Most tater tots are made with pretty unsavory ingredients, and because of cross contamination, eating them out becomes basically impossible. I made these with sweet potato and bacon for a flavor kick and no risk of the yucky stuff like rancid oils or traces of gluten!”

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Inactive Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 5 strips of crispy bacon, chopped
  • Up to 1 tsp garlic sea salt (to taste)
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ cup (80 g) potato starch or cassava flour
  • Avocado oil or light olive oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Boil the sweet potato submerged in water for about 10 minutes. Remove the sweet potato from the boiling water and once cool enough to handle, peel or slice the skin off. Grate the sweet potato, using a hand grater, mandolin or food processor.
  2. Once the sweet potato is grated, use a hand towel or a few paper towels to squeeze out the excess water from the potato. This step is important, as you do not want to have soggy tots!
  3. Add the other ingredients (minus the oil and sauce) to the grated sweet potato in a mixing bowl and combine by hand. Preheat oil for frying in a large skillet over medium/high heat; it does not need to be enough oil for deep frying, but it should be enough to generously cover the bottom of the skillet.
  4. While the cooking oil heats, begin shaping your tots. Roll about a tablespoon (15 g) of the dough into a ball, and then elongate it and flatten the ends to give it that distinctive tot shape.
  5. Fry the tots, rolling them around on all sides to make sure they crisp up. Once all sides are cooked, around 5 minutes or more, use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove the tots and transfer them to a towel-lined plate to cool slightly. Serve alone or with my Awesome Sauce (see notes)

Notes

Awesome Sauce is another recipe in The Paleo Kids Cookbook, page 177.

For little hands: Allow your child to help shape the tots. It’s okay if they are not shaped perfectly as they will fry deliciously regardless. Older kids can help fry the tots while supervised.

This recipe and photo are reprinted with permission from Jennifer Robins and Page Street Publishing.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

© Shirley Braden
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dish, Appetizer
Originally published October 7, 2016; updated December 4, 2021.

Free Email Updates to gfe

Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

Comments

  2. Judee Algazi says

    Shirley,
    Thank you for this informative review and bringing awareness to the importance of the value of healthier eating. Our society is so indoctrinated by television advertising telling us what to eat that we lose sight of what is really good for us. I like the idea of a cookbook that targets recipes that appeal to kids. I know my daughter in law struggles to get her kids to eat real food! This could be the perfect cookbook for her. Thanks Shirley.

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Judee–This really is both a delightful and super helpful cookbook in regard to all you mentioned. Sorry you didn’t win this time, but I do appreciate you participating and commenting!

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Jen–Gluten-free apple crisp sounds perfect for this time of year! I’m sorry you didn’t win this time around, but I do appreciate you joining in and wish you better luck next time. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Patricia–I appreciate you participating in this event and am sorry you’re not one of the winners this time. I hope you’ll still get some cassava flour to try. It can be great in so many recipes.

      Shirley

      Reply

  5. Nancy says

    Thanks, Shirley! Would love the Paleo Kids Cookbook. I have a nineteen month old granddaughter who loves healthy foods. Steamed broccoli is one of her favorites! I know there would be many recipes in this book that would fit in with the foods she loves. Will definitely be making these tater tots for her. I’m sure we are all going to love them!

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Nancy–A 19-month old who loves steamed broccoli is a very good thing! Son always called broccoli “trees” and he still loves it and sometimes calls it that. 😉 I’m sorry you didn’t want this particular giveaway, dear, but I do appreciate you joining in and I’m glad that you still have a terrific recipe to try. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  6. Isa Raven says

    I’m relatively new to Paleo and would love to see the cookbook. Also, my food portions are pretty small at this point, so I think a kid’s cookbook with their portions would be perfect for me! Isa

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Isa–It’s good to see you again here at gfe! I’m sorry that you didn’t win this time, but I appreciate you participating and commenting. I love your point about smaller portions, too. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  7. Celestine P. says

    I would love the Paleo Kids Cookbook. Cooking with my kids is one of those things I love doing as a mother and as a homeschool teacher as well. 🙂 We are trying to steer toward a healthier path, and such a cookbook would help. 🙂

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Celestine–Thanks for participating in this giveaway! I’m sorry you are not a winner this time, but I hope you’ll keep participating in gfe events and have better luck next time. I know you’ve been a winner in the past, so it’s bound to happen again. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Carolyn–It looks like you’re new here at gfe–welcome! 🙂 I’m sorry you weren’t a winner this time, but I hope you’ll come back for more gfe giveaways and luck will go your way. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  10. Andrea Wyckoff says

    These sweet potato tater tots are calling my name loud and clear!! Definitely adding to my must make list!!

    I’ve only recently started playing around with Otto’s cassava flour so I’d love to win a copy of Jennifer’s new cookbook as I will always be a kid at heart! xx

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Andrea–These sweet potato and bacon tater tots are definitely something special! I can’t wait to see the recipes you create using cassava flour, dear. Congrats on winning Jennifer’s book! I love that you get to exercise your child-like qualities. 😉 Enjoy!

      xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  12. Bev Maiers says

    I would love either. I have never tried Otto’s Cassava flour and the cookbook sounds great. Have been looking for more refined sugar free recipes and I tend to be picky as well as my teenagers, so I’m now following you both on pinterest.

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Grace–It looks like you’re new to gfe—welcome! 🙂 I’m sorry that you weren’t a winner this time. I hope you’ll come back and have better luck in future giveaways here.

      Shirley

      Reply

  15. Patty vazquez says

    I would love the paleo kids book so i can cook my little guy some yummy recipes yummy thanks for the chance

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Patty–It looks like you’re new here—welcome to gfe! 🙂 I’m sorry that you weren’t a winner this time. I hope you’ll participate in future gfe events and have better luck next time for you and your little guy. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  16. Donna D. says

    Would love to try the Cassava Flour as I have never tried it before….Either gift would be great…Thank you for sharing this tater tot recipe…I will be trying it as I love sweet potatoes…and who doesn’t love bacon 😉

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Donna–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 I appreciate you participating in this giveaway although I’m sorry you weren’t a winner this time. I’m wishing you better luck for next time! 😉 Until then, enjoy these Sweet Potato Bacon Tater Tots!

      Shirley

      Reply

  17. Lisa says

    My children would love to win the cookbook. They are budding chefs who are keen to try many new paleo recipes and these sweet potato tatter tots will soon be on the menu. Thank you for posting. However, we live in Australia and hope that this is an international competition.

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Lisa–Welcome to gfe! I love that you have budding chefs at your house and appreciate you participating. Unfortunately you weren’t a winner this time but, hopefully, you’ll have better luck in the future! 🙂 All my giveaways are open internationally, unless there is a legal restriction, such as a food item that can’t be shipped due to custom laws.

      Shirley

      Reply

  18. Andrea Wyckoff says

    Yeee!! Thanks so much for giving away such a fun & healthy cookbook!! I am totally looking forward to feeling like a kid in the kitchen again! And it will be fun preparing these recipes with the help of my favorite picky eaters.
    ❤️
    Andrea Wyckoff

    Reply

  20. Raia says

    These sound delicious, Shirley! Thank you so much for sharing them with us at Allergy Free Thursdays! I’m going to feature them at this week’s party – hope to see you there! 🙂

    Reply

  22. Jenn @ Regain Your Sparkle says

    Sad I missed the giveaway, but I’ve noticed people using more cassava flour lately and I loved it the first time I used it, so I’m super excited for this recipe (I’m nut-free and gluten-free which makes finding a decent flour/recipe difficult). Plus, anything with bacon is an automatic must have, haha :).

    Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      Hi Jenn–Welcome to gfe! It’s so nice to meet you and be introduced to your blog. 🙂 Yes, cassava flour is becoming more and more popular. I still haven’t fully explored using it myself, but will now that I’m back in baking mode. 😉 I think that gf and nut free can seem very challenging at first, but it’s like any other food challenge, the more you eat that way, the more options/recipes you start “seeing.” Thanks for the feedback on this wonderful recipe and I’m sorry you missed the giveaway. Next time maybe?!

      Shirley

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Skip to Recipe