1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Add the tater tots to a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl, combine the oil with the garlic powder, chili powder, and salt. Pour over the tater tots and mix to coat some of the tots. You don’t want them to be soaked or they can end up soggy. Add the tots to the baking sheet and bake for 25- 30 minutes (this longer than the package instructions, I like a darker crispier tater tot. If you don’t then follow the bake time on the package.)

3. While the tater tots are baking, add the ground beef to a pan and cook fully. When the ground beef is about halfway cooked add for the remainder of the time until the meat is fully browned and cooked through, then drain the grease and wipe excess grease from the pan. Return the meat and beans mixture back into the pan.

4. Over medium heat, add in the 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and the water and combine just until the sauce thickens a bit and all of the meat is seasoned. Remove from heat.

5. When the tater tots are done keep the oven at 425 degrees. To assemble the totchos you can keep them on the baking sheet but I liked to load them into a cast iron skillet for a more “piled” appearance. Start with the tots, then the beef and bean mix, then the Cheddar cheese, and lastly sprinkle a bit of smoked paprika over top.

6. Bake at 425 for 3 minutes. Then switch the oven to broil and broil until the cheese is bubbling.

Serve with any of your favorite nacho toppings! I did red onion, scallions, sour cream, and guac.