Truffled tater tots ($8) at Grill 23 (161 Berkeley Street, Boston, 617.542.2255)
Hardly the hash-browned Shrinky Dinks of your youth, Grill 23’s truffled tater tots are more like mini mashed-potato croquettes — golden and crunchy outside, incredibly creamy within. Given their delicacy, it’s no surprise that their origins lie in holiday feasts, not the workaday breakfast express. “When I was a kid,” explains chef Jay Murray, “I wanted to do something with the mashed potatoes left over from Thanksgiving dinner, so I breaded and fried them.” Gently perfumed with truffle oil, the adult result needs no condiment; if you’re going to ask your waiter for ketchup, you may as well just ask him to make a run to Mickey D’s. Which isn’t to say you can’t dunk a few in the jus pooling beneath the medium-rare filet on your plate: now that’s my kind of meat and potatoes.
— RUTH TOBIAS
PHOTO BY KELLY DAVIDSON