Elevated Tots
Poem Pairing: A Most Unusual Young Boy
A Most Unusual Young Boy
He was a sophisticated boy
Even if he was a bit peculiar
The kind of boy that, well
Is hard to define in words
Certainly he was intelligent
Quite far above his peers
IQ was off the charts
And he dressed more like
A business man than a child
Yet, in some quirky ways
He seemed younger than his
Four years of age
It was not unusual for him
To suck his thumb or
Hold his blankie near
His favorite toy of all
Was an orange rubber hammer
He had owned since birth
Some called him brilliant
A prodigy they would proclaim
The next Einstein for sure
While others declared that
He was babyish and maybe even
A bit slow if you know what I mean
A strange unsettling young toddler
They’d whisper to anyone who would hear
When his mother was asked
About her young boy
She would shrug with nonchalance
And look toward him
As if she had considered this before
“He is an elevated tot,” was all she would say.
Recipe and Shopping List:
Time to prepare: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 people
1 large bag of plain, frozen tater tots
2 lbs. store-bought fully cooked pulled pork in barbecue sauce
1 bag of coleslaw/cabbage
10 fresh strawberries, chopped
1 gala or honeycrisp apple, chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced
¾ sour cream, divided into ¼ cup and ½ cup for separate dish preparation
3 tbsp rice vinegar
¼ tsp toasted sesame seed oil
2 limes, juiced
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste
To make the tots and pork: First, roast the tots in the oven according to the instructions on the bag. In a separate dish, bake the pulled pork according to the instructions - to heat through. For my recipe, I baked the potatoes for 30 minutes at 425 degrees, and the pork in the same oven for 10 minutes.
To make the crema: In a bowl or a squeeze bottle, add ½ sour cream, the juice of 1 lime, chili powder, cumin, and salt, then combine. To thin the crema for pouring onto the tots, slowly add ice-cold water to the mixture until it reaches the desired consistency.
To make the quick-pickled onions: In a small bowl, add thinly sliced red onions, the juice of 1 lime, and a pinch of salt, then microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, and place the onions on the counter to soften. For a stronger pickle flavor, add 1 tsp of white vinegar to the bowl before microwaving. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
To make the coleslaw: In a large mixing bowl, mix ¾ cup sour cream, rice vinegar, and sesame seed oil. Then, add coleslaw/cabbage, apple, and strawberries, and gently mix together.
Plating: Layer the following: tots, pork, crema, and coleslaw.
Recipe Shopping List:
1 large bag of plain tater tots
2 lbs. store-bought pulled pork in barbecue sauce
1 bag of coleslaw/cabbage
1 container of fresh strawberries
1 gala or honeycrisp apple
1 red onion, baseball size
16-oz of sour cream
Bottle of rice vinegar
Bottle of toasted sesame seed oil
2 limes
Chili powder
Cumin powder
This sounds delicious!