First up, stuffing waffles. When I came across this recipe on Serious Eats, I just had to try it out.
How freakin’ ingenious of an idea is a stuffing waffle? We’re talking the best of Thanksgiving combined with the best of breakfast. Hello, how can you go wrong with that?
Stuffing waffles are a bit decadent, but then again it’s Thanksgiving, a time to give thanks for the blessing of the harvest. A time to loosen the belt buckle a notch and enjoy a day of celebrating food with others. And, a great way to use up any leftover stuffing post-Thanksgiving festivities, no doubt.
Basically, you make stuffing and instead of baking it in the oven, you cook it in a waffle machine. The best part is how crispy the outside of the waffle gets, really nice and crunchy, while remaining tender on the inside.
It will take a good 10 minutes per waffle. And I did have some issues getting the waffles out of the waffle machine completely intact (although it may have been my waffle machine, time for a new one). Thoroughly delicious, if not perfect looking (let’s just call them rustic).
Don’t be afraid to experiment in the kitchen. More importantly, get in the kitchen and have fun. Cheers and happy Thanksgiving. More to folllow…
While not traditional from a stuffing standpoint, I used a spicy lamb merguez sausage in the stuffing…
Stuffing Waffles
Adapted from Serious Eats
makes 4-5 waffles
1 loaf white bread (used sourdough), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 stick of butter
3/4 pound sausage (used a spicy lamb Merguez), casings removed
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaped tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 heaped tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken/turkey stock
1 egg
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Bake the bread on baking sheets until completely dried out, about 50 minutes.
Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon into bite-sized pieces. Cook until just a hint of pink in the middle. Add the onion, celery, garlic, sage, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer.
Beat the eggs with the parsley. Add the bread to the skillet and pour the egg mixture over top. Toss until well combined.
Heat a waffle machine. Lightly coat with oil/butter. Add 1/4 to 1/5 of the stuffing mixture and press into the waffle machine. Cook about 10 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Repeat with the remaining stuffing mixture.
