Debate Night Dinner: Tim Walz’s Turkey Trot Tater-Tot Hotdish Recipe

• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will debate Ohio Sen. JD Vance on October 1.
• Walz has discussed his culinary skills during the 2024 campaign.
• I made Walz’s Turkey Trot Tater-Tot Hotdish, a no-fuss recipe perfect for family gatherings.

As Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance attempt to woo American voters this election season, they’ve deployed a classic strategy: relatable foods.

Vance has shared his love for food on his social media accounts, posting photos from local Ohio restaurants and county fairs. In an August interview with The Wall Street Journal, his wife, Usha Vance, praised his culinary prowess, saying he is a savant at making biscuits, chocolate mousse, and vegetarian-based Indian meals.

However, Vance was trolled by social media users after an awkward visit to a doughnut shop in Georgia the same month.

Walz has also presented himself as something of a foodie on social media, sharing posts showing off sandwiches and telling his followers about his love for corn dogs. He’s even won the Minnesota congressional delegation’s hotdish competition thrice since 2013.

Walz faced blowback in August after the Harris campaign published a YouTube video of the Minnesota governor telling the vice president that he eats “white guy tacos” and is “not much of a spice guy.” The Daily Beast reported that some conservative figures derided the comments by suggesting Walz was playing into inaccurate racial stereotypes, while others pointed toward his similar-sounding Turkey Taco Tot Hotdish recipe as proof he used seasoning.

A recipe Walz had previously shared on X for his Turkey Trot Tater-Tot Hotdish then went viral, racking up 1.5 million views.

Walz and Vance will go head-to-head at the vice presidential debate in New York City on October 1. Ahead of the event, I made Walz’s viral hotdish, a tasty meal that uses unpretentious ingredients and is simple to recreate.

Representatives for Vance and Walz did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Here’s how to make Tim Walz’s Turkey Trot Tater-Tot Hotdish

Ingredients

• 1 lb of fresh green beans, diced
• 4 slices of bacon
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 5-6 tablespoons flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1 1/2 cup chopped baby bella mushrooms
• 1 package of tater tots

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Put ground turkey into a medium bowl and mix in garlic, sage, green onions, egg, pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt.

   
   

   
   

3. Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet, cook the seasoned turkey mixture at 165°F until well done, then place cooked turkey in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
4. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then plunge them into ice water. Once cool, drain completely and gently mix them into a baking dish.

5. Fry the bacon until crispy, then chop it into 1/4-inch pieces before adding it to the baking dish.

   
   

   
   

6. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter foam subsides, add mushrooms to the melted butter.
7. Gently stir butter and mushrooms for 4-5 minutes or about 2 minutes after the browning point. Remove from heat and add to the baking dish.

8. In a saucepan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat and sprinkle flour into the butter. Let cook for 2 minutes, then slowly whisk in milk and half and half. Cook for 2 more minutes, then add diced onions, salt, and pepper. After a minute, stir in 2 1/2 cups of cheese until melted.

   
   

   
   

9. Pour the cheese mixture over the ingredients in the baking dish.
10. Scatter tater tots and remaining cheese over top of the baking dish.
11. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Walz’s recipe has a lot of prep, but the payoff is delicious

I’ve recreated several recipes at Business Insider — including homemade butter. Still, my favorites have always been simple, no-fuss meals that deliver on taste and don’t take half a day to make.

On that front, Walz’s hotdish recipe is a winner.

The process took around 55 minutes in addition to the 45-minute baking time, so the recipe took almost 2 hours to complete.

People who want to try it at home should know that most of the recipe’s labor is prepping the ingredients. You’ll need to dice green beans, cut bacon, mince garlic, cook ground turkey, chop onions, and cut up mushrooms.

Once prepped, the recipe is straightforward. You dump everything into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and bake it in an oven. The ground meat acts as the hotdish’s base, covered in layers of green beans, bacon, and mushrooms.

When I first read the recipe, I assumed it would be fairly basic, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the choices Walz made with the hotdish. I loved that he used a cheddar cheese sauce for one of the layers because it helped combine all the ingredients.

I also loved that he used butter instead of oil throughout the recipe. Admittedly, it’s not healthy, but it added a rich flavor and reminded me of good ol’ Southern cuisine.

Taste-wise, I thought the hotdish had good seasoning evenly proportioned in each bite. The tater tots were crispy after baking in the oven, adding a necessary crunch to an otherwise soft entreé.

The only thing I’d change is adding a few drops of hot sauce into the roux for an added kick, which may be too much for Walz himself. Overall, the recipe is solid. Based on my experience, it’s a great weeknight meal for large families or people tuning in for debate night.