Potato Waffles with Crème Fraiche

Potato Waffles with Crème Fraiche

The first time I ate waffles was on a trip to Disneyland. Until then I had only been in love with the word “waffle” and the warmth it implied. When my mother took me to the amusement park, we stayed at a Travel Lodge and ate breakfast at a nearby diner. Perched side by side on red vinyl stools, we both ordered waffles. Two plates arrived with whipped cream and strawberries piled on top of the hot, golden cakes. We looked at each other and gasped. I just know she was thinking the same thing: “I can’t wait to come back tomorrow!” The next morning, the waitress poured coffee in a brown mug, and remembered how my mother liked her coffee. This small gesture made us feel so welcome and somehow connected to this place – an unsung diner in the maze of Los Angeles, that for years we brought it up: “Remember the waffles…” yet we hardly remembered the rides in the park.

I made these savory waffles for brunch at the hotel’s coffeeshop, where we jumpstarted a tired menu in spite of dubious guests who didn’t want us messing with their breakfast. They demanded we dish out our sad stack of pancakes from the box mix that just calls for water and garnish it with orange slices and curly parsley. There was an early morning showdown between the kitchen and the wait staff – they didn’t want to face cranky businessmen who hadn’t had their coffee yet. At the time, change meant everything to me, I lived for it, and threatened to quit if they stood in my way. It’s beautiful when you’re young and have convictions, even if it’s just about breakfast.

  

Serve these waffles warm, drizzled with crème fraiche, smoked salmon, chives, and a squeeze of lemon. And if  caviar is available, what a New Year’s Day treat.

Yields about a dozen 3 inch waffles

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes

3 large eggs

1½ cups buttermilk

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1½ cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ to ½ cup of milk to thin the batter if needed

-Peel and chop the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Use a steamer to cook them over boiling salted water until very tender, about 5-7 minutes. Steaming the potatoes prevents them from becoming water logged. Drain and transfer to a bowl to mash into a puree.

-Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter.

-Add the potato puree to the buttermilk mixture and mix well.

-Combine the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the buttermilk mixture, stirring just until smooth. If the batter is too thick, you can thin it with milk, added ¼ cup at a time.

-Let the batter rest at room temperature up to 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator; the batter improves the longer it rests.

-Pour about ½ cup of batter into a very hot waffle iron and bake until golden and crisp.

Serve hot.

Crème Fraiche

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons buttermilk

-Warm the cream by bringing it to a small boil and removing from heat. Stir in the buttermilk and pour the mixture into a clean glass bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place to culture for 24 hours. Refrigerate when you are pleased with the taste and texture. It will keep refrigerated for about 10 days. If it becomes too thick, you can thin it with more heavy cream.