Tater Tarts — Simple Food, Deep Roots

September 2022. Fall in Memphis, and I am 63, walking the neighborhood in my light jacket, watching the leaves turn on the oaks and maples that line Deadrick Avenue. The smoker is happy in fall — the cooler air holds the smoke lower, keeps it closer to the meat, and the results are always a shade better in October than in July, as if the season itself is a seasoning.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 38 years of marriage.

I made cornbread in the cast iron skillet — buttermilk, cornmeal, bacon drippings, the recipe that goes back to Mama and before Mama to her mama and before that to wherever the tradition began. Baked at 425 until golden and crusty, the edges dark and lacy, the center soft and crumbling. Some weeks cornbread is enough. Some weeks the simplest food is the most profound.

The week ended on the porch with Rosetta, the evening settling over Orange Mound, the smoker cooling in the backyard. The fire was banked but not out — it's never out, just resting between cooks, holding the heat the way I hold the tradition: carefully, permanently, with the understanding that what Uncle Clyde gave me is not mine to keep but mine to pass, and the passing is the purpose.

That cornbread gets me thinking every time — how the simplest food is the one that stays with you, the one that carries the names of the people who handed it down. Tater Tarts are cut from that same cloth: humble ingredients, honest technique, the kind of recipe you make without a second thought because your hands already know what to do. I’m sharing this one the same way Uncle Clyde shared his fire — because keeping it to yourself defeats the whole purpose.

Tater Tarts

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 12 tarts

Ingredients

• 1 package (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts (2 sheets)
• 2 cups mashed potatoes, cooled
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• Sour cream and extra chives, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
2. Cut crusts. Unroll pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Using a 3 1/2-inch round cutter, cut 6 circles from each sheet for 12 total. Press each circle gently into a muffin cup, working the edges up the sides about 1/2 inch.
3. Mix filling. In a medium bowl, combine mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup cheddar, sour cream, butter, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth and well blended.
4. Fill tarts. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling into each crust cup, pressing gently to level the tops. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheddar evenly over the tarts, then top with crumbled bacon.
5. Bake. Bake 22–25 minutes, until the crusts are golden at the edges and the cheese on top is melted and just beginning to brown.
6. Cool and serve. Let tarts rest in the pan for 5 minutes before removing with a small offset spatula or butter knife. Serve warm, topped with a small dollop of sour cream and a pinch of fresh chives.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 230mg