Bacon.Gruyere.Savory.Waffle.
No syrup on this one. Just savory, salty, warm and crisp. Topped with a runny poached egg and hearty splashes of hot sauce. This is my kind of meal.
Sometimes you have to cook for yourself and this recipe is an ode to just that. Create what sounds good when it sounds good.
If I get a hankering for a particular meal, I will rearrange my schedule in order to make that craving come to fruition. At times, this means going to the grocery store JUST to get those particular ingredients.
Creating what sounds delicious at the moment is exhilarating– it’s a passionate pursuit of food.
Caving in to cravings seems to happen less often these days. Probably because I’m feeding three others and am constantly working on recipes for ongoing projects. That’s the life of a mom and a freelance recipe developer.
But this recipe. Savory Waffles. It’s been like a mythical creature to me. It hangs over my head every time I hear the cry of my children’s cravings for waffles.
Deep down inside though, I don’t want syrup laden pieces of bread for breakfast. I want a breakfast to be salty and cheesy.
However, they ask for waffles and I make them…with a smile of course. I get it, they have food cravings too.
Then there was the day I had enough of sweet waffles. The moment for the mythical savory waffle to become tangible and edible had arrived.
What do you want me to pack in your lunch today?
“Waffles!”
On it.
As I’m prepping and packing breakfast for lunch, I am developing a plan of attack for dinner.
I’m going to have to go to Market Street to get these ingredients before school is out…gymnastics is immediately after school…but I have two appointments right after morning drop off… and then there is that phone conference I can’t miss… and those photos HAVE to be edited…..eeeek! and alllll those emails.
The stream of conscieness was too much. I had to shut it all down.
I needed those waffles TODAY.
I dropped everything and made my way to Market Street. The ingredients list was short.
Organic fresh thyme.
Stonewall Kitchen Pancake and Waffle Mix (may I add how GOOD this waffle mix is!).
Alfresco Pasture Raised Eggs by Vital Farms.
Pederson’s Uncured Hickory Smoked Bacon (because it’s Texas local and it’s free of nitrates, MSG and other bad things).
I zoomed in and out of the aisles, with a very focused face. Check out was a breeze. All I had was one paper bag to take to my car, so I declined the fantastic Market Street grocery carry-out assistance.
Now that the ingredients were secure I could go back to focus on the day and secretly long for the evening, when it was going to be my waffle time.
The rest of the afternoon proceeded as it should– so well that when we got home from gymnastics the kids played together happily for an hour while I cooked. My waffle stars were aligned.
Not wanting to share my waffles, I strategically prepared Katherine and Eli’s favorite meal of bolognese to keep the waffles my own.
“Is that bacon AND cheese?”
“Mommy, those waffles smell good. Are we having waffles for dinner?”
“Are the waffles done yet?”
No.No.No. This is not how this was going to work.
Alas, I caved. What’s mine is yours. We all shared a pile of savory waffles and satisfied smiles.
“Mama, I like your kind of waffles.”
Me too, Katherine.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Market Street. All opinions are my own and I appreciate your support of the brands/companies that I love.
Bacon and Gruyere Savory Waffle with Poached Egg
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups waffle batter
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons shallots, chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked bacon (plus more for topping), chopped
- 1/2 cup gruyere, grated
- poached eggs, see recipe below
- hot sauce, for topping
- chopped parsley, optional topping
for the Poached Eggs
- eggs
- 1 teaspoon red or white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Heat a waffle iron to your preferred setting.
- Combine thyme, salt, shallot, bacon and gruyere with the waffle batter. Stir well to combine.
- Pour batter into waffle iron and cook 5-6 minutes, or until waffles are golden and crisp.
- Top with poached egg, chopped bacon, hot sauce and parsley. Serve warm.
Poached Eggs
- Fill a small pan halfway with water and add the vinegar. Bring the water and vinegar to boil.
- Meanwhile, crack eggs into individual small bowls.
- With a spoon, make a whirlpool in the boiling water. As the water is swirling, drop one egg into the center of the whirlpool. Cover the pan, gently remove the pan from the heat. Do not disturb the egg or pan.
- Let the egg cook for 4 minutes. Gently remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon.
- Serve immediately.
