Minnesota's canonical casserole: ground beef, cream-of-mushroom soup, mixed frozen vegetables, all baked under a crown of tater tot potato nuggets until the topping crisps deep golden.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Tater tot hotdish is the Minnesota community-dinner, church-supper and family-Sunday casserole, with origins in the post-war Lutheran kitchens of the 1950s when Ore-Ida invented tater tots and Campbell's cream-of-mushroom soup became universal. The dish embodies the Minnesota 'hotdish' tradition: layered, cream-bound, baked. Hen House Eatery, the Blue Door Pub and the State Fair plate elevated versions, while every church basement in the city serves the original at potlucks.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Tip from the editors. The cream-of-mushroom shortcut is canonical; from-scratch sauce is a restaurant refinement. Brand-name Ore-Ida tots are the make-or-break ingredient.
Hen House Eatery in Minneapolis runs downtown's defining all-day breakfast counter on 8th Street, with scratch biscuits and a 30-cocktail Bloody Mary list.
Order: Babe's Eggs Benedict with carnitas on jalapeno cheddar cornbread.
Tip: Arrive before 9am on weekends or join the waitlist on the loudspeaker; the bakery counter sells out the maple bacon cinnamon roll by 11.
Blue Door Pub on 42nd Avenue has run a stuffed-burger pub in South Minneapolis since 2008. Located in Longfellow Powderhorn. Kitchen leans american pub.
Signature: Blucy stuffed burger, Tater tots
Order: The Blucy with blue cheese and bacon, tater tots on the side.
Tip: Weekends pull a wait; sit at the bar for faster service. Six other Twin Cities locations.
Cafe Latte in Saint Paul runs the Grand Avenue cafeteria-and-bakery hybrid since 1985, with scratch soups, salads, the turtle cake and a wine bar upstairs.
Order: The turtle cake plus the daily soup-and-salad combo from the line.
Tip: The wine bar upstairs opens late afternoon and seats walk-ins; bakery counter is the pre-noon pick for a turtle cake or a scone.
Matt's Bar on Cedar Avenue has run a $9 Jucy Lucy in South Minneapolis since 1954. The original cheese-stuffed burger, fries and a beer for under fifteen.
Try: Jucy Lucy
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