Tis' the Season for Tater Taquitos

DENVER, Nov. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- It's no wonder that potatoes and the holiday season go hand in hand.  Potatoes are a holiday staple, evoking memories of wonderful holiday meals with friends and family and evenings spent enjoying our favorite potato-based comfort foods, from mashed to baked to scalloped. But why not keep the potato party going and put those leftover mashed potatoes to work in a healthy appetizer dish? Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien has a few ideas for using leftover mashed potatoes, including combining them with caramelized onion to create a seriously mouthwatering appetizer, Tater Taquitos.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131118/CG18223)

To make Tater Taquitos lower in fat but still full of flavor, Lillien makes her mashed potatoes with light versions of sour cream, butter, and cheese. She then adds the cooked onions, rolls it all in corn tortillas, and bakes them. The result is crunchy and salty on the outside, sweet and savory on the inside. Serve them alongside your favorite salsa for dipping. Nothing says festive like a taquito! 

The US Potato Board (USPB) is thrilled to partner with Hungry Girl to encourage nutritious, guilt-free potato eating year-round, and that includes the holidays! HG's Tater Taquitos are simple to make and they are the perfect go-to potluck or party appetizer. Want more holiday entertaining ideas from Hungry Girl? Chat live with Lisa Lillien on the Potatoes, Taters & Spuds Facebook page on December 11^th at noon PST. Click here to RSVP!  

And, if Lillien approves, you know it's good for you. That's because one medium-size (5.3 ounce) skin-on potato contains just 110 calories per serving, boasts more potassium (620g) than a banana (450g), provides almost half the daily value of vitamin C (45 percent), and contains no fat, sodium or cholesterol. With such a nutritious foundation, one taquito is less than 100 calories!

Tater Taquitos

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients:
8 oz. russet potato, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp. light sour cream
2 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread
2 wedges light spreadable Swiss cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups diced onion
Ten 6-inch corn tortillas 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add cubed potato, and once returned to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Cook until very tender, 10 - 15 minutes. Drain and transfer potato to a large bowl. Add sour cream, butter, cheese wedges, garlic powder, pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Thoroughly mash and mix.

Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion until softened and lightly browned, 8 - 10 minutes. Stir cooked onion into potato mixture.

Place tortillas between 2 damp paper towels. Microwave for 1 minute, or until warm and pliable. One at a time, spread each tortilla with 1/10th of potato mixture, about 2 tablespoons; tightly roll up into a tube, place on the baking sheet, seam side down, and secure with toothpicks if needed. 

Spray taquitos with nonstick spray, and sprinkle with remaining 1/8 tsp. salt. Bake until crispy, 18 - 20 minutes. (Don't worry if they crack a little.) Enjoy!

Nutritionals per serving (1 taquito): 99 calories, 2g fat, 158mg sodium, 17g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 2g sugars, 2g protein.

Inspired by Hungry Girl's creative and guilt-free potato recipe? Hungry Girl and the USPB invite you to enter the Guilt-Free Potato Goodness recipe contest on the Potatoes, Taters & Spuds Facebook page. Simply submit your original, mouth-watering and guilt-free potato recipe for the chance to win a trip for two to Los Angeles, CA, and a meet-and-greet with Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien at her brand-new Hungryland headquarters and test kitchen! Enter the contest by March 28, 2014. Click here for official contest rules.

Visit www.potatogoodness.com to learn more about Hungry Girl's love for potatoes and to find hundreds of healthy and creative potato recipes. You can also sign-up to receive the US Potato Board's weekly recipe email to receive a new recipe in your email in-box each week.

About the United States Potato Board
The United States Potato Board (USPB) is the nation's potato marketing and research organization.  Based in Denver, Colorado, the USPB represents more than 2,500 potato growers and handlers across the country. The USPB was established in 1971 by a group of potato growers to promote the benefits of eating potatoes. Today, as the largest vegetable commodity board, the USPB is proud to be recognized as an innovator in the produce industry and dedicated to positioning potatoes as a nutrition powerhouse—truly, goodness unearthed.   

About Hungry Girl
Lisa Lillien (a.k.a. Hungry Girl) has turned her appetite for better-for-you food finds, recipes, and swaps into a multimedia phenomenon -- from a free daily email service with more than 1.2 million subscribers (hungry-girl.com) to a super-successful book series and a hit cooking show that airs on both Food Network and Cooking Channel. Her realistic approach to eating has shown hungry people everywhere that they can eat the foods they crave and still fit into their favorite jeans. Lisa is not a nutritionist, a dietitian, or a doctor. She's just hungry...

Media Contact
Liz Conant
FleishmanHillard
916-492-5333
[email protected]

SOURCE United States Potato Board