Who is excited for squash season!?!? Yay! No? Squash can be tough. And by tough, I mean mushy. When people say they don’t like squash, 9 times out of 10 it’s a texture thing. Yes, sometimes it totally seems like you’re eating baby food. So it’s time to mix it up. What if your squash was disguised as a tater tot? Greg, who often seems disappointed when I tell him we’re having squash for dinner, really enjoyed these tots. Why? They’re crispy!

For me, butternut is my favorite of the winter squashes. I think it’s the easiest to work with and very versatile. I use it in soups, salads, burritos, sauces and much more. It’s the sweetest of squashes and can even be used to make a fresh pumpkin pie. Learn how to cut a butternut squash here.

Butternut Squash

Acorn Squash

Spaghetti Squash

As you probably already know, winter squashes are related to pumpkins so they grow like pumpkins – on a vine. We grow several types – butternut, acorn, spaghetti, delicata, buttercup and also the Autumn Pride squash, which is great for pumpkin pies, and the Blue Hubbard squash. Because they store so well we generally have them available at the market well into the winter months depending on how quickly they sell.

These tots are sweet. The squash itself is already sweet and we’re adding brown sugar to it! The garlic and cayenne pepper help to balance some of that sweetness.

Spacing the tots and using a cooling rack for cooking is important for texture. This allows the tots to get crispy on all sides. Definitely line your baking sheet with foil or parchment because the excess brown sugar is going to drip down and burn on your pan.

They make a great side dish!