The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
POTATO WAFFLES WITH PASTRAMI AND SAUERKRAUT
Fern Green, author of “Melts,” chooses potato waffles as one way to show that bread isn’t the only vessel for a grilled cheese sandwich. “Potato waffles in particular bring a crispy, pillowy crunch to the table. Sandwiched around a tasty filling, you have to try it.”Plus waffles equals breakfast. Right?
Potato waffles are hugely forgiving. We found that the waffle batter might need seasoning depending on the mashed potatoes you start with. So taste them and see. We also found we needed to adjust the amount of liquid based on the thickness of our mashed potatoes. So maybe you’ll want to add a little milk or buttermilk or whatever was used in the original mashed potatoes so that you end up with a batter that will spread a little.
The thinner the batter, the thinner your waffles will be. But be sure your waffle iron is truly nonstick, or treat with a little nonstick cooking spray.
No mashed potatoes on hand? Just bake an 8-ounce potato or several smaller ones (in the microwave, even) and use that instead. Then be sure to add some salt and pepper.
But no matter what we did, potato waffles baked up beautifully. And no, it’s not a mistake. The sandwich will not need butter on the outside to crisp up and melt the cheese.
1/2 pound mashed
potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 egg
1 tablespoon
mayonnaise 2 heaping tablespoons sauerkraut, well drained
3 slices pastrami 3 cornichons, thinly
sliced
2 ounces Swiss cheese,
grated Freshly ground black
pepper
Heat waffle iron.
In a medium bowl, stir together potatoes, flour and egg. If needed, spray waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon batter into waffle iron to make two waffles and cook 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown.
Arrange waffles on work surface, Spread mayonnaise on one waffle and top with sauerkraut. Lay pastrami on top then sprinkle with cornichons and grated Swiss. Season lightly and top with second waffle. Put waffle in a hot nonstick skillet and heat 1 minute, then turn and heat on the other side for 1 minute or until cheese has melted and pastrami has warmed through. Serves: 1
Adapted from a recipe in “Melts” by Fern Green ($19.99, Hardie Grant Books).
Per serving: 804 calories (percent of calories from fat, 51), 35 grams protein, 62 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 46 grams fat (18 grams saturated), 300 milligrams cholesterol, 1,849 milligrams sodium.