# Vice-Presidential culinary question: What is "hotdish" in Minnesota? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2024, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398 "2024-08-08T00:24:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/61 "2024-08-08T12:31:24Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > Notice how no spices are mentioned. A friend of mine from Minnesota used to refer to ketchup as ‘Minnesota Hot Sauce’. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/62 "2024-08-08T12:32:48Z")
Years ago I made tater tots hot dish after seeing it mentioned here. It was actually pretty good! ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/63 "2024-08-08T13:36:33Z")
I’m a Minnesotan. I don’t care for Walz but I do like a good hotdish! A hotdish is the same thing as a casserole. They are not just for potlucks. There are a million kinds of hotdishes. Pizza hotdish is one of our faves. We Minnesotans also like spices and seasonings. Not sure where that came from. We do have a lot of Scandinavians here. Maybe their traditional foods don’t have a lot of seasonings. But my background is Italian and other European ethnicities so I use a plethora of seasonings and spices. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/64 "2024-08-08T13:55:02Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > What do you think of totchos are they good The only time we ordered them at a pub, all the tots except for the very top layer got unpleasantly mushy. Nobody ate it once the crispy top was gone. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/65 "2024-08-08T14:08:43Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > all the tots except for the very top layer got unpleasantly mushy. Nobody ate it once the crispy top was gone. So, not significantly different from nachos made with tortilla chips? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/66 "2024-08-08T14:38:37Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > …all the tots except for the very top layer got unpleasantly mushy. I tried making tater tot hot dish once, and this was my experience too-- in general it tasted good, but the tots on top absorbed the liquid underneath and were unappetizingly mushy. It occurs to me that ‘tater tot hot dish’ is really just a Midwestern version of Shepard’s Pie, with tater tots used as a convenient shortcut to making mashed potatoes. Shepard’s Pie also does not typically use a heavy cream-based sauce to bind the under-layer together, as hot dish does using 'Cream of…" soup bases. Like the _ **idea** _ of hot dish, but not so much the final product? Find a Shepard’s Pie recipe that sounds good to you, and try making that (or Cottage Pie-- technically _Shepard’s Pie_ is ground lamb, _Cottage_ is ground beef). I make a killer version using red and green peppers instead of peas and carrots (O’Brien’s Pie?). ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/67 "2024-08-08T14:39:51Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > So, not significantly different from nachos made with tortilla chips? Quite different. It was basically mushy hotdish with maybe 10% crispy browned tots on top in a casserole dish instead of corn chip nacos all spread out on a platter so that they’re maybe 40% crispy chips on top. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/68 "2024-08-08T14:49:51Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The best tots are Taco John’s Potato Oles. But they are non-standard, they have spice. I’m not sure I’d call it “spice”, I think they just season them with something like Lawry’s seasoned salt. But I agree potato oles are the best. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/69 "2024-08-08T14:58:11Z")
There are places in the world where the 'Hot dish VS Casserole" debate splits families like guns or abortion. I happen to live in that region. If Walz becomes VP there may be a deciding vote one way or the other and the resulting seismic cultural shift will happen the likes of which will not be seen for decades. Your Roe VS Wade hasn’t seen anything yet. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/70 "2024-08-08T15:23:54Z")
(Hijack) to say nothing of the Duck, Duck, Goose vs Duck, Duck, Grey Duck controversy(/hijack) Brian ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/71 "2024-08-08T15:26:20Z")
For those who have asked, Schell’s is a regional brewery from New Ulm, Minnesota. You can guess from the name of the town, New Ulm was settled by Germans. It is a good regional brewery, with several types of beer. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/72 "2024-08-08T15:28:51Z")
And Pop v Soda, the most import SCOTUS ruling ever. Minnesoda is on the correct (pop) side. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/73 "2024-08-08T15:57:48Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > Somewhere in the US doesn’t have tater tots? Massachusetts has them! ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/74 "2024-08-08T15:58:28Z")
[**A Prairie Home Companion** explains hotdish](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JApKC96gPTA). ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/75 "2024-08-08T16:09:13Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Pop v Soda, the most import SCOTUS ruling ever. Hmph. Here in New England “tonic” still survives. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/76 "2024-08-08T16:34:38Z")
It’s been years since I went through it, but when I did, the Rochester International Airport (MN) had a single restaurant in it. It was named Hotdish. Autocarrot thinks that should be Hottish. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/77 "2024-08-08T18:44:51Z")
Weren’t tots fairly common in TV dinners - as in “peel back foil to expose tater tots”? I love tots, but Mrs. Martian hates them - served too often when she was a kid. At least she lets me order them if we are eating out (unlike scrapple). There is a burger place in Scottsdale that offers sweet potato tots which are delicious. Even Mrs. Martian the tots hater will eat them. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/78 "2024-08-08T19:11:39Z")
Sweet potato fries are food of the gods. Especially with truffle aioli to dip them in. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/79 "2024-08-08T19:34:14Z")
My brother-in-law from Minnesota has eaten bad hot dishes as a boy. He doesn’t like anything that has ingredients mixed up. Yet he’s a church pastor who necessarily attends potlucks so swallows everything all the time. He jokes that he feels like a Trump employee sometimes in a nauseating way. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398/80 "2024-08-08T19:43:48Z")
One of the reasons I left Minnesota: > [https://youtu.be/3z7tFPtRF6o](https://youtu.be/3z7tFPtRF6o) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-culinary-question-what-is-hotdish-in-minnesota/1005398.md?page=5)