M&S GRILL CRAB TATER TOT
Source: Executive Chef Doug Tigges, M&S Grill
From: KARE 11, Minneapolis/St. Paul, 3/27/2006

1 pound cream cheese
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 tablespoon Chipotle pepper purée
1/4 cup cream
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/2 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 pound crab meat
1 pound bay shrimp
3 pounds shredded, frozen hash-brown potatoes
3 cups Panko bread crumbs

Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature for about an hour before making the tots. Blend the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold in the remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly.

To form the tots, pinch off a generous tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball. Mold into a ?tater tot? shape by gently squeezing the sides of the ball to form the traditional cylindrical shape.

These are best deep-fried, but they can be drizzled with oil and baked at 400 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes. Whichever cooking method you use, the tots must be very cold before cooking, so refrigerate them for at least 1 to 2 hours. (They can even be frozen. Allow them to thaw, refrigerated for 1 to 2 hours.)

Chef's note: Serve these with your favorite dipping sauce. We use tartar sauce spiked with jalapeño peppers.