I love potato-based products.
I think burgers are at their best when paired with French fries. I’m a big fan of a hash brown patty alongside my eggs. And I am always up for mashed potatoes opposite chicken or turkey.
That doesn’t mean that potatoes are always the healthiest. We now know that too many carbs aren’t ideal, and many potato products can also be high in sodium and fat.
But they’re still tasty.
Aldi carries all kinds of starchy stuff, both as year-round Regular Buys and as limited-time Aldi Finds. When we recently spotted these potato products, and we decided to give them a try.
Season’s Choice Cheesy Jalapeno Potato Tots and Season’s Choice Loaded Potato Tots are both Aldi Finds. They’re only around for a short time, and once they’re sold out, you won’t be able to get them until they come back. You can’t order them online if they’re not stocked at your local store.
At the time of this post, each box cost us $3.99. Each of our 7.6-ounce boxes had about 11 potato tots, which came out to 52.5 cents per ounce or 36 cents per tot.
You can find these in the frozen Aldi Finds section. You should keep them frozen until you’re ready to prepare them. As you would expect, you should remove the tots from the box and the plastic packaging before cooking.
Cooking instructions for the two types of tots were identical. You have three options: air fryer, conventional oven, and convection oven.
To cook in the air fryer, preheat to 375 degrees. Place 12 pieces in a single layer in the basket. Heat 7-8 minutes and shake about halfway through heating time.
To cook in the conventional oven, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place 12 pieces on a baking sheet and heat for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through heating time.
To cook in the convection oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place 12 pieces on a baking sheet and heat for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through heating time.
Cheesy Jalapeno Potato Tots
We thought these came out crisp and flavorful. They have a blend of cheese and peppers to go with the potatoes, with a degree of kick you would expect from the jalapenos. We’d grade them out as mild to medium heat, and we liked dipping them in Ranch to tamp it down a little.
Nutritionally, these are a highly processed food with a long list of ingredients. They’re also, as expected, high in calories (210 calories per 5 pieces), fat (14 grams), saturated fat (3 grams), and carbs (16 grams). A single serving is also very high in sodium, with 1,000 milligrams or 43% of your daily allowance.
Cheesy Jalapeno: Nutrition information, ingredients, and cooking instructions. (Click to enlarge.)
Loaded Potato Tots
These also came out crispy and flavorful, with a mix of cheese and bacon. Our testers, though, were divided on whether these were superior to the jalapeno tots. Two of us thought these loaded bites were superior, with a more rich flavor, while one of our testers preferred the taste and texture of the jalapeno bites. All of us agreed these were good, though.
These are on par nutritionally with the jalapeno tots. The ingredients list is long, as processed food lists often are. Nutritionally, five tots will cost you 220 calories, 15 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, and 16 grams of carbs. The sodium content is marginally lower than the other tots, with 850 milligrams or 37% of your daily allowance.
Loaded Potato: Nutrition information, ingredients, and cooking instructions. (Click to enlarge.)
The Verdict:
Season’s Choice Cheesy Jalapeno Potato Tots and Season’s Choice Loaded Potato Tots are tasty little tots. With a crisp texture and good flavor, they make a nice appetizer or side to a main entrée. Our testers were split on which one they liked best, but everyone agreed both were good.
They’re not good for your pocketbook or your health, though. These tots are fairly expensive and are high in fat, carbs, calories, and especially sodium. They’re a moderation food, which is why it’s just as well they’re limited-time Aldi Finds.
