Tim Walz's Violently Midwestern "Hotdish" Is Going Viral, So I Recreated It In My Own Kitchen (And Have So Many Thoughts)

Something VIOLENTLY Midwestern is happening in the 2024 presidential election, and for once, it has absolutely nothing to do with the state of Iowa...and everything to do with food.

Mere days after being confirmed as Kamala Harris's VP pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz tweeted one of his family's "hotdish" recipes: the Turkey Trot Tater-Tot Hotdish. It quickly became a viral moment, garnering over 1.5 million views.

Twitter: @GovTimWalz

I'm no political genius, but I am a chronically online, brain-rotted millennial, so I'm assuming that the "turkey" nod is a reference to his recently resurfaced video at the Minnesota State Fair, where he charmingly quibbles with his vegetarian daughter over corndogs vs. turkey dogs.

Or maybe it's referencing Vice President Kamala Harris's iconic Thanksgiving turkey tips? Who's to say, really.

Twitter: @Jersey_Craig

Important context up front: Hotdish is a Midwestern casserole-type meal that typically combines a protein and veggie mix in a creamy sauce. An earlier version of this post stated that they're always topped with tater tots, which I've since learned is false — but the tater tot-topped variety is certainly one of the most popular. The hotdish as a whole is...basically the unofficial dish of Minnesota. Like, Minnesotans can't get enough of it.

Bizarrely enough, this also isn't the first time the beloved dish has come up in the context of politics. Back when Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar campaigned for president in 2020, she held a series of "Hotdish House Parties" for Minnesota voters, featuring her family's special hotdish recipe at each one.

This isn't the first time Walz has shared his hotdish recipes with the public; he posted his New Ulm Hotdish recipe on X this past July. It was one of the recipes that won him the Minnesota Congressional Delegation "Hotdish-Off" — which is a real thing — three times.

Twitter: @Tim_Walz

In the hotdish-obsessed corner of X (a small but very opinionated community), Walz's recent virality actually re-ignited a former hotdish controversy of his: using peas. Back in 2022, he was met with a fair amount of criticism online for using the divisive legume in an otherwise standard hotdish, which he proudly posted a photo of in a Pyrex baking dish.

Twitter: @McCormickJohn

But whether you're pro- or anti-hotdish, I think we can all agree that it looks like food is already shaping up to be a recurring theme for the Harris-Walz campaign. Between Walz's viral "white guy tacos" comment and his landmark universal free lunch program in his home state, it's clear he definitely shares Vice President Kamala Harris's love for all things food. (Cooking with Kamala, I'll never forget you.)

Naturally, Walz's viral "Turkey Trot Tater-Tot" hotdish recipe has been worming its way into my brain ever since I laid eyes on it, so it didn't take long until I found myself frantically scribbling out a grocery list and running to the grocery store to grab everything I needed to try it at home. As someone who's never tried a hotdish before, I was simply too intrigued not to try it — so intrigued, in fact, that I broke all my rules and used my oven on a 90º day with suspect air conditioning.

Here's everything I needed to make it:

Most importantly, you'll also need a package of frozen tater tots, per the below image; IDK what trademark battle Whole Foods is avoiding by opting for tater "puffs," but I can confirm they're just tater tots. Walz doesn't specify the size, but I found that my one-pound bag worked OK. Truth be told, though, you might want a two-pound bag for maximum tater tot coverage.

All in all, the ingredients I bought clocked in at around $35, which ain't cheap for a single meal. But considering the fact that this recipe made at least eight servings (and that's a conservative guess), just over $4 per serving doesn't seem outlandish to me.

From beginning to end, here's how I made Walz's famous hotdish (including a few important liberties I took) so you can try it yourself...if you're brave enough, that is. Spoiler alert: This dish, while violently Midwestern, was surprisingly a 10.

STEP #1: After setting your oven to 375ºF, use a fork to mix the ground turkey, garlic, sage, green onions, egg, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt — just until everything is evenly incorporated.

Then, you'll cook the mixture in a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Honestly — and I'm veering from Walz's instructions here — I'd cook it just shy of done, since the mixture still has a 45-minute baking session ahead of it, and you don't want to end up with dry turkey meat. You'll then place the turkey meat into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, but any other similarly-sized oven-safe dish will do. Pyrex is the Minnesota way, of course, but you do you.

STEP #2: Blanch the diced green beans in boiling water (a large saucepan works great so you can reuse it later) for two to three minutes only, then remove them to an ice bath to "shock" them, which keeps 'em bright and green throughout the cooking process.

Once cooled, drain thoroughly and add them to your baking dish, on top of the cooked turkey mixture.

STEP #3: Cook your bacon in the skillet you used for the turkey mixture until golden brown and crisp. Walz then calls for chopping the cooked bacon into 1/4-inch pieces, but IMO, you can just crumble it into small chunks. Surprise, surprise: You're also going to add the cooked bacon to the baking dish!

STEP #4: In the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons of butter to the rendered bacon fat and use it to sauté the chopped mushrooms. You'll cook them for 4–5 minutes or until "2 minutes after the browning point," as Walz specifies. Then, you guessed it, you'll pour everything into the baking dish!

STEP #5: Now, FINALLY, you are going to mix everything together in your baking dish — the turkey, green beans, bacon, and mushrooms.

STEP #6: In the same saucepan you used to blanch the green beans, you'll make your cheese sauce. Melt 4 tablespoons butter, then sprinkle in the flour. Stir it constantly over medium heat for two minutes, until it smells nutty and turns golden. This is your "roux," which will thicken the cheese sauce.

Then, you're going to carefully whisk in your cold half & half and cold milk; cold milk added to a hot roux ensures no lumps. Keep on whisking until everything is completely combined and lump-free, then simmer for two more minutes.

After two minutes, you'll add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and your chopped onions to the sauce. I was feeling rather suspect about the raw onions (no sautéing first?!), but can confirm it all worked out nicely in the end.

Then, off the heat, you'll whisk in 2 1/2 cups of cheese until fully melted. Save the remaining 1/2 cup for sprinkling over the tots!

It's a glorious cheese sauce, if I do say so myself.

STEP #7: Pour all of your steamy, melty cheese sauce over your thoroughly mixed hotdish ingredients, and do it as evenly as possible. Many other hotdish recipes that I compared this one to also call for not mixing the ingredients and sauce, and instead instruct you to just pour it over. I have no clue why, but trust the process (and the Midwesterners responsible for it).

Once sauced, you'll evenly top everything with frozen tater tots. Listen, y'all: I did my best with my one-pound bag of tots. Realistically, I think the top should be completely covered with tots, hence my recommendation to buy a two-pound bag so you'll have extra...but I'm simply unsure! Tim doesn't provide a picture! We may never know the "right" way.

For one last final cheesy touch, because you can NEVER have too much cheese in the Midwest — I went to school in Michigan, so I can say that — you'll scatter the remaining cheese all over the top of the tots.

STEP #8: Carefully slide the extremely heavy baking dish into your pre-heated 375ºF oven and bake it for 45 minutes, or until the tots are golden brown and the filling is bubbly and piping hot.

I doubted Walz at this point, thinking there was no way in hell it would take 45 minutes to cook, but I was, once again, wrong. Truth be told, the green beans were perfectly cooked after 45 minutes and still had some nice texture to them — which strikes me as a potential reason that Walz opted for fresh veggies over frozen or canned.

Here's what she looked like straight out of the oven. At this point, my apartment was 80º (I checked!), which pales in comparison to the 1,000º tater tot I selfishly stole off the top and subsequently decimated my mouth and tastebuds with.

As I took this photo, my perplexed husband exclaimed, "What is that?!" To which I answered, "It's a Tim Walz family hotdish recipe," which was likely the last thing he expected me to say on an ordinary Thursday summer afternoon.

Confused as he was, we both dug in as soon as the hotdish cooled down to no longer be as hot as the surface of the sun. And ultimately...we couldn't stop eating it. It was perfection.

In the baking dish, it looks great! On a fork, it's objectively nauseating, but I urge you to look past mere aesthetics and appreciate this crowd-pleasing casserole for everything it is. Texturally, it's incredible; with still-crisp green beans, rich cheese sauce, and crisp tater tots in every bite, it's easily one of the most satisfying casseroles I've bitten into.

Nothing will ever take away my sweet, sweet green bean casserole as a Thanksgiving staple, but TBH, this "turkey trot" hotdish is kind of the complete meal, non-holiday version of it. So if you, like me, have ever seriously considered eating a green bean casserole for dinner, Walz's hotdish might be your answer. It's got all the food groups of the Midwest represented: meat, veggies, potatoes, and cheese. What's not to love?

My husband and I both had it for lunch the day I made it, fresh out of the oven. We also had it for dinner, and even served it to a friend of ours who was visiting (she loved it!). The next day, I had leftovers for lunch...and the day after that, I also had a hotdish lunch. All this to say: It's really, really good.

If you try this recipe yourself, let me know what you think of it in the comments. And if we get word of a Harris vs. Walz "Turkey-Off" as November swiftly approaches — Kamala HQ, I'm begging you to make this happen — this won't be the last you'll hear from me re: the 2024 election and poultry. 🫡