Potato Waffles - Comfort Food

When I was a little girl, my grandmother would often make us potato pancakes using mashed potatoes in the batter, and frying them in a cast iron skillet. My memory may not be correct, but I don't believe that skillet was ever not on the stove top. Grandma used it for everything!

So many of my fondest memories involve food. Especially food that I consider comfort food. Potato pancakes definitely fall into that category for me.

I have discovered with my family, that we really enjoy waffles. Not traditional butter and syrup drowned waffles, but usually waffles with a savory flare. Remember the Ham & Cheese Waffles recipe I shared a while back? I took that base recipe and made Potato Waffles for my guys last week using some leftover mashed potatoes and 1/2 a white onion in place of the ham and cheese. I added some extra black pepper and garlic salt, like I would add to a baked potato. The result was really good! The texture of the waffle crispness combined with the softness of the mashed potatoes worked out to be a delightful match. My guys only suggestion: add bacon. No surprises there!!

We paired these Potato Waffles with Mackerel Cakes and My Favorite Vegetable Salad. A meal that will be added to the "Must Repeat" file!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 large egg

4 TBS melted butter

1 cup mashed potatoes, (leftovers)

1/2 white onion, diced

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until just combined. Batter will be very lumpy.

- Prepare waffle press by preheating and coating with cooking spray.

- Using a small measuring cup or large serving spoon, add batter to hot waffle press. Depending on the waffle press being used, do not overfill. My recommendation is to add less rather than more batter to avoid overflows. (I add approximately 1/3 cup of batter per waffle.)

- Cook with press closed until ready indicator signals, or til desired doneness. I like to cook these waffles just a little longer than basic waffles.

Hint: For a touch of extra flavor, add bacon to the batter. Serve with butter and sour cream to have that baked potato taste. Or my favorite: take 2 waffles and use them to make a sandwich - YUMMMMM! Enjoy!!

Ham & Cheese Waffles

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 large egg
4 TBS butter or margarine, melted & cooled
4 oz thinly sliced ham, chopped
1 cup shredded *orange* cheese (we used colby-jack mix, cheddar works well also)
2 green onions, chopped

*mustard for dipping*

Begin by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk.

Next, add the milk, egg, and melted butter. Combine thoroughly.



For this recipe we used deli style ham. To get it the right size (quickly) Jon used the pizza cutter to dice it all up. Fast and efficient.



The ham, cheese, and chopped green onion are added to the batter without over mixing.



Using a waffle press the batter is cooked. These waffles are not as crunchy as other waffles, so be prepared for the texture to be softer.

Don't be fooled though, they are super filling!



I like a little bit of mustard to dip my waffles in - but of the 5 people here - I am the only one. They don't know what they are missing!

If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, they make great snacks and would work well for a quick lunch.

We weren't so lucky this time...but next time that just means a double-batch!

Dinner, errrrrrr - Brenner

Dinner, errrrr - Brenner in a Hurry:

*sausage patties

*hashbrowns with red and green peppers and onions

*tangelo wedges

*cinnamon waffles........skip the syrup, it's not needed here

This is what we ate at our house - what's for dinner at yours??