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Home Β» 30 Minute Recipes

Speck Ham Tater Tots

04/27/2016 Updated: 03/22/2022 By Karrie 15 Comments

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Speck Ham Tater Tots on a white plate with herbs

Speck Ham Tater Tots are a delicious, all natural, homemade alternative to store bought frozen boring tater tots.  Made with Speck Alto Adige PGI ham, Parmesan cheese, and Italian herbs, these easy taters can be on the table in less than 20 minutes!

Crispy brown Speck Ham Tater Tots on a plate with herbs on top

Homemade Speck Ham Tater Tots

These Speck Ham Tater Tots are a homemade version that's way healthier and tastier than premade frozen store tots.

When mixing up this tater tot recipe, I decided to play up the whole Italian theme by adding a little Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning for some extra flavor.

Speck Ham Tater Tots are so easy to make and are totally kid-friendly, yet sophisticated enough to serve at an adult dinner party.

Perfect as a side dish to any entrée or as a snack with some melted cheese on top or even chili for something really tasty.

Homemade fried potatoes made with ham, cheese, and Italian seasoning

A few weeks ago Katie, my friend and fellow food blogger at A Fork's Tale, referred me to the PR folks for the cured ham product Speck Alto Adige PGI. 

They asked if I would like to receive a sample of it to use in a recipe, as well as being featured on their website as their Speck Ham April Speckulator. 

Well, I can honesty say, they didn't have to ask me twice before I jumped on that bandwagon.  Immediately I said "YES!" and a huge hunk of beautiful delicious Speck arrived at my door.  Yay me!!

A large piece of Italian Speck ham on a cutting board

What is Speck Ham?

Speck Alto Adige PGI is made from lean pork and is only produced in the northern Italy area of South Tyrol (also known as Südtirol). 

The pork is naturally cured for a few weeks in a juniper and spice mixture, then lightly smoked. It's finally aged by air drying for an average of 22 weeks in the cool Alpine air. 

Similar in taste and texture to prosciutto, this cured ham has a more intense smokiness to it. However, through all the smokiness, it still maintains a mildly sweet undertone.

The fire-branded seal on the rind of a piece of Speck ham

See that fire-branded seal on the ham's rind?  Only the best hams can be marked with a Südtirol seal, so be sure to look for it to insure the highest quality and authenticity.

The inside of a cooked tater tot with Speck ham and Italian seasonings

Seriously, I don't know where these tater tots have been my whole life.  They are unbelievably good and I'm already thinking of changing up the recipe.

They can have all sorts of different meats, veggies, and/or cheeses added to the potato base and fried up.

Tater tots stacked up on a white plate with Speck ham diced up in the background

So say bye-bye-bye to your unnatural frozen premade plain and boring tater tots and trade them in for these easy and delicious homemade Speck Ham Tater Tots.

Tater Tots stacked up on a white plate

Speck Ham Tater Tots

A delicious, all natural, homemade alternative to store bought frozen boring tater tots. Made with Speck Alto Adige PGI, Parmesan cheese, and Italian herbs, these easy tots can be on the table in less than 20 minutes!
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 81kcal
Author: Karrie | Tasty Ever After

Ingredients

  • 2 large Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes about 2 pounds, scrubbed and cleaned of all dirt
  • ΒΌ cup Speck ham, diced (can subsitute bacon, pancetta, or prosciutto)
  • 2 tablespooons flour
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 1 ΒΌ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Β½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • oil for frying
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Precook the potatoes by pricking each potato several times all over and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes, or until a knife is easily inserted into center but not quite soft (can also precook/roast in a 400F/204C degree oven for about 30-40 minutes). Set aside and let cool completely.
  • Take cooled potatoes and peel the skins off (if desired) and shred on the large holes of a box grater. Place shredded potatoes in a large bowl, add Speck ham, flour, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix well with hands until mixture is thoroughly combined. Set aside.
  • Place 2 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed, large pot over medium-high heat until oil reaches 350F/176C degrees.
  • While oil is heating, make the tots by taking a small scoop of the potato mixture and form into 1 inch long cylinders. Drop each tot into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd, and fry until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Drain cooked tots on a wire rack over paper towels or on a paper towel lined plate.
  • Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Speck Ham Tater Tots
Amount Per Serving
Calories 81 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Cholesterol 2mg1%
Sodium 634mg26%
Potassium 448mg13%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 3g12%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 20IU0%
Vitamin C 12.1mg15%
Calcium 70mg7%
Iron 3.7mg21%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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 ©  Tasty Ever After  All images and content are copyright protected, so please do not copy or claim my work as your own.  Please do not use any images or republish this recipe without prior permission.  If you want to reference this recipe, link directly back to this post.  Thank you.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. simonacallas

    May 03, 2016 at 3:43 pm

    5 stars
    Wow, these tots look amazing! Simple, tasty and easy to make πŸ™‚

    Reply
  2. Rahul @samosastreet.com

    May 02, 2016 at 2:49 pm

    Your pictures look absolutely delicious, Karrie! Without a single doubt, I am going to try speck ham tater tots and I am sure it will be a big hit in my home

    Reply
  3. Sophie

    May 02, 2016 at 12:05 pm

    Ok so I know I'm a vegetarian, but can I still say YUM? I haven't had a tater tot in ages and never would have thought to make them myself... but I can totally see this working with so many delicious fillings!! Especially since the base is made of so many staple ingredients. Maybe a truffle cheese one?! An imitation meat one? (My guilty pleasure... it's so artificial but I just love it) Blue cheese? Spinach?!

    Reply
  4. Katie Crenshaw

    May 01, 2016 at 7:49 pm

    5 stars
    Karrie, you are sooooo sweet! I am glad you liked that Speck Ham…. I am craving it now. I think it was the best ham EVER!!!! And your tater tots…. Sweet Heaven! You are my foodie twin!!! Potato anything and I fall apart! Add in cheese and that Speck Ham!!! HELLO! I can't fry things very good. That is my cooking weakness. The only thing I have been known to fry well is fried okra. I haven't tried frying in awhile. Guess I should try again, because these taters look worth the risk!

    Reply
  5. GiGi Eats

    May 01, 2016 at 6:39 pm

    5 stars
    OHHH MAN those are total crowd pleasers right there!

    Reply
  6. Vineetha @ Mint and Mimosas

    May 01, 2016 at 5:05 pm

    Mmm, these sound deliciously flavorful!

    Reply
  7. annie@ciaochowbambina

    April 29, 2016 at 12:32 pm

    5 stars
    Oh goshhhhh - there isn't anything about this that I don't love! I wish we lived closer, my friend! I could handle a big plate of these right now! Perfetto!!

    Reply
  8. Karly

    April 28, 2016 at 3:35 pm

    These take tots to a whole new level. A level that I think most of us would call the Drool Level. These look SO good!

    Reply
  9. Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks

    April 28, 2016 at 3:08 pm

    OMG! This is the coolest thing ever! Homemade Tater Tots stuffed with prosciutto-like ham and parmesan?!?! I love that a big chunk of ham showed up at your door. Think how many more Tater Tots you can make with all that. I'll be over to eat them all!

    Reply
  10. Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom

    April 28, 2016 at 2:25 pm

    This is GENIUS! Pure genius! I never would have thought to mix ham into tater tots, but the combination is a perfect marriage! Not to mention, I can eat tots like it's my last day on earth πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  11. Nicoletta @sugarlopice

    April 28, 2016 at 10:32 am

    Karrie, Loreto would LOVE those tater tots! I should make them for him, they look absolutely delicious! Speck is an amazing product, its smoky flavor is addictive. Glad you were chosen as their April Speckulator πŸ˜‰ . You did a fantastic job!

    Reply
  12. All That I'm Eating

    April 28, 2016 at 8:40 am

    These sound AMAZING! You've made me so hungry, I could gobble all of these up right now!

    Reply
  13. Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop

    April 28, 2016 at 8:17 am

    I've always wanted to make my own tater tots. Now it looks like I have the perfect recipe. Love that you have bits of ham in here. Yum!

    Reply
  14. Dawn @ Girl Heart Food

    April 28, 2016 at 7:45 am

    I think we are food twins, Karrie! Totally picking up what you are throwing down, lol. How lucky to get this beautiful hunk of speck sent to you. YUM! These speck ham tater tots look delicious! I love speck ham, though I haven't had it in quite some time. This is the perfect opportunity to go pick some up, make these and pop the whole recipe into my pie hole πŸ˜‰ I bet these would be awesome with some aioli dipping sauce too or poached eggs for brekky or imagine with poutine....mmmmmm. Pinning this for making soon πŸ™‚ XO

    Reply
  15. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy

    April 28, 2016 at 7:11 am

    5 stars
    How have I never had tater tots before? They seem like an American staple that hasn't quite made its way to the UK yet.

    Reply

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