Name: Tater Tots Tossed in Date Butter
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 6–8
Ingredients: 5 Tbsp. (75 g) butter, room temperature; 3 Tbsp. olive oil; 5 fat garlic cloves, grated with a Microplane or very finely minced; 3 Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped; 1⁄2 cup (45 g) grated Parmesan cheese; 1 large handful finely chopped soft fresh herbs (parsley, chives, scallion greens, ramps); 1 tsp. lemon zest; 1⁄4 tsp. salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 2 lb. (910 g) frozen tater tots; 2 tsp. garlic powder (optional); 5 Tbsp. Hot Date! Butter, room temperature; Salt; Freshly ground black pepper

Tater tots with compound green butter on a yellow platter.

Photo by Linda Xiao

Put these out at a gathering and I guarantee you’ll be hearing rave reviews about your snack judgment for a long time to come. You’ll need to make a batch of Hot Date! Butter before you begin. It’s a green and herbaceous, garlic-inflected, date-studded situation, friend to all carbs. Toss this with any format of potato or smear on a baguette for an extra-amped garlic bread, perfect for spaghetti night. Skillet gnocchi! Hot rice! Over toast, under a crackly fried egg! Slice a bit off the atop a perfectly seared steak!

Also: I know I am constantly pushing my Big Popcorn Agenda, but don’t knock it until you try it. Gently melt a spoonful big bowl of freshly popped popcorn for a stupendous snack.

Recipe notes

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

A Cookbook All About Dates Is What We Deserve
In *Hot Date\!,* Rawaan Alkhatib explores the fruit’s potential with tater tots, chili crisp, upside down cake, and more.

Brussels Sprouts Latkes

Who says latkes have to be potato? Brussels bring a delicious cruciferousness.

Tuna Melt Nachos

Love a tuna melt? Meet your new favorite nachos—fast and filling all thanks to tinned fish.

Masoub (Banana and Flatbread Pudding)

This quick breakfast or dessert is renowned in Yemen and throughout the Arabian Peninsula.

Yogurt and Cucumber Soup

This luscious chilled yogurt soup, packed with fresh and dried mint, is an incredibly refreshing and cooling appetizer during the summer.

Ta’ameya (Fava Bean Fritters)

Serve these as you would falafel: in a pita, on top of a salad, or as a snack with a dip.

Gigante Beans With Seaweed Salmoriglio

Salmoriglio is a Mediterranean sauce with herbs, garlic, and olive oil. In this version, kelp is used as the base of the sauce.

Charred Vegetable Ragù

This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!

Rye, Cranberry, and Dark Chocolate Cookies

This cookie is an unintended “celebrity.” It’s one of very few cookies that customers ask for specifically upon arrival at Mokonuts.

Recipe notes

A Cookbook All About Dates Is What We Deserve