Mealtime Magic: Taconite Tater Tot Hodish

Reprinted with permission from United We Eat.

As the first woman elected to represent the state of Minnesota in the United States Senate, Amy Klobuchar has learned that nothing gets a deal done quite like dining with your colleagues. “The women of the Senate gather several times a year for a bipartisan dinner. We have a great time, but the story is about much more than 25 women eating dinner together,” explains Klobuchar. “These dinners have built relationships and trust, which has led to significant accomplishments— including passing a budget, managing appropriations, ending a shutdown, getting a highway bill done, and ushering through a groundbreaking report on torture.” When asked how these dinners accomplish so much, she shares the secret to their effectiveness: “We never leak what was said at the meetings. And no, we never

talk about the male senators.”

Klobuchar also loves to recipe swap with fellow Minnesotan politicians from both sides of the aisle. Each year they come together for the Minnesota Delegation Hotdish Competition, where the politicians fight for bragging rights over who makes the best version of the classic comfort dish typically served during the state’s winter months. In 2011, at the inaugural Hotdish Competition, Klobuchar took top honors with her decadent Taconite Tater Tot Hotdish, which pairs tater tots with cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup, ground beef, and heaps of Pepper Jack cheese.

SERVES 10

1 pound ground beef

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 (8-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (8-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese, divided

1 (32-ounce) bag frozen tater tots

1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2 In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef. Drain off fat and set beef aside in a large bowl.

3 In the same skillet over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.

4 In a large bowl, mix together beef, onions, garlic, both cans of soup, salt, and pepper.

5 Spread beef mixture evenly on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Cover with half of the shredded cheese.

6 Place tater tots in a single layer over beef mixture and cheese.

7 Bake for 30 minutes, or until tater tots are crisp, and remove from oven.

8 Cover with remaining cheese and bake until cheese melts, approximately 5 minutes.

Capri S. Cafaro, former Minority Leader of the Ohio Senate, cable news political commentator and host of Heritage Radio Network’s forthcoming show Eat Your Heartland Out, has announced her debut cookbook United We Eat. The 128-page book shares recipes representing all 50 states with submissions by political leaders from both sides of the aisle, including former 2020 Democrat Presidential candidates Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), former Gov. and current Fox News Contributor Mike Huckabee (R-AK) and current MSNBC commentator, former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele (R-MD).

“We are in a time rife with division. It is in times like these when it is most important to remember what can bring us together,” explains Cafaro. “I have always believed a good meal or a sweet treat can warm all of our hearts and remind us of the kindness and community spirit that makes us Americans.”

United We Eat features firsthand accounts from politicians about memorable meals they’ve shared with political rivals that set the table for compromise. In one such story, former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY) recalls in 1981, while serving his first term as a U.S. Senator, meeting his Senate colleague Pat Moynihan, a fellow New Yorker. As a Democrat, Moynihan’s views naturally differed from D'Amato’s, and they initially treated each other with a wary, distant respect. That changed over a meal—or more accurately, over several meals. The two first came together for an introductory lunch at Moynihan’s favorite New York haunt, The Pierre Hotel. As lunch stretched into late afternoon, the senators found themselves reaching past their differences to form a bond that would blossom into a great personal friendship. The friendship was sealed when Moynihan joined D'Amato at his Senate office, where his mother’s famous lasagna was served. With each lunch came the renewed belief that breaking bread is the best way to find common ground. As D'Amato puts it, “We sure could use more of that in politics today. I’m sure Pat would agree, especially over a plate of lasagna and a nice Chianti!”

The easy-to-follow recipes in United We Eat are designed for home chefs and feature favorites from all 50 states like Rep. Don Young’s (R) Alaskan Halibut Bake, former Democratic National Committee Chair and Fox News Contributor Donna Brazile’s authentic Louisiana Gumbo, Pride of Maryland Crab Cakes from former TV journalist and Maryland Democratic Party Chairwoman Kathleen Matthews and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s  (R) Camden Gooey Cake.
 
In addition to the United We Eat recipe contributors, Cafaro adapted a selection of the featured dishes in the book to be symbolic of the state’s they represent, including Idaho’s Ice Cream “Baked Potato” with Candied Bacon, New Jersey’s Trenton Tomato Pie and Mississippi’s Grilled Gulf Shrimp Skewers with Comeback Sauce.