Waffled Twice Baked Potato Pancake Bites

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Upgrade your potato game with these irresistible Waffled Twice Baked Potato Pancake Bites! Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a snack.

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I could eat my weight in potatoes every day and be happy.  Maybe it’s my Irish roots.  It could be the fact that potatoes are delicious and full of fabulous nutrition.  Maybe it’s because they come in so many sizes, shapes, colors, flavors, and textures.  Whatever it is, I can honestly say I can eat potatoes at least once a day and never get tired of them.

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I want to show the world that potatoes are not just that vegetable sitting in the dark in the bottom of their pantry.  They’re more than just mashed potatoes, baked, fried, or chipped.  They are amazing and can hold up to the most elegant and delicious appetizers on the planet!  Who’s with me??

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Where do waffles come from?

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Waffles have a long and fascinating history. The earliest versions trace back to ancient Greece.  Initially, they were flat cakes were cooked between hot metal plates. They evolved into medieval wafers.  But with the addition of eggs and milk, they evolved into the waffles we’re used to.  In the Middle Ages, European craftsmen began using patterned irons to create the recognizable grid we see today.  During the Renaissance, spices and leavening agents were introduced.  This made waffles light and more flavorful.

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By the 18th century, waffles became a breakfast favorite in Belgium.  This inspired countless regional variations. European immigrants brought waffles to America where they quickly gained popularity.  Thomas Jefferson made them even more famous.  He bought one of the first long handled waffle irons.  But what really skyrocketed their popularity was the invention of the waffle iron in the late 1800s.  This made waffles for breakfast an integral part of American breakfast.

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What Is a Twice Baked Potato?

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 A twice baked potato is a classic comfort food side. First, you bake a potato until it’s tender. The scooped-out insides get mixed with tasty additions like cheese, sour cream, and chives.  The filling is spooned back into the potato skin. The potatoes are baked in the oven again.  Hence “twice baked” potatoes.  These potatoes are fluffy, flavorful, and irresistibly cheesy treats.  They are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

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The twice baked potatoes came about in the mid-20th century.  It’s sort of a two-fold invention.  First, it’s a way to repurpose leftover baked potatoes.  And second, cuisine turned to a more decadent and rich featuring cheese, butter, and creams.  The combination of the two made for a classic side dish that is the center of any dinner table.

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Different Types of Potatoes

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While there are over 4 THOUSAND different varieties of potatoes across the globe, there are about 7 main types found in the grocery stores today.  First there’s the russet potato.  It’s a sturdy go to potato known for its starchy and fluffy texture.  This makes it perfect for baked potatoes and mashed potatoes. 

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Next come the colors.  There’s white potatoes which are great for roasting and mashing.  Next comes Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes that are buttery and perfect for mashing and roasting.  Red potatoes are great for roasting, too, but also perfect for Cajun potato salad.  Purple potatoes are similar to red and yellow, but they have fun purple flesh to add color to your basic potato recipes.

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 New potatoes or baby potatoes are potatoes harvested when they’re young making them more tender with a slightly sweet flavor.  I like to boil them with salt then toss with butter and fresh dill.  Fingerling potatoes look like fingers.  They’re run and perfect roasted or added to salads like a Niçoise.  Then there’s sweet potatoes.  It comes in orange, purple, and white.  They’re great mashed, baked whole, and delicious in soups and salads like this kale sweet potato salad, too.

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Are potatoes healthy to eat?

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Yes.  While they have gotten a bad rap by being a carb and typically fried like French fries and potato chips.  They actually are a great source of fiber.  Not to mention the vitamin C and potassium potatoes have all with zero fat.  Even though they’re carbs, their slow-burning carbs give you lasting energy for your busy day.  Now, where I go wrong are the toppings.  Sometimes I love me a loaded baked potato, but sometimes it’s just a little butter with salt and pepper.

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What other types of potato appetizers are there? 

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The first thing that comes to mind are potato skins.  They’re crispy outside stuffed with cheese, bacon, and onions just to name a few.  They’re great game day food.  Potato croquettes are fun and bite-sized mashed potatoes breaded and fried until golden brown.  This appetizer is a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes and make a different dish to serve your family.  Of course you can’t forget latkes.  Their crispy shredded goodness is the star of any dinner table. 

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Turning Nana’s Potato Pancake Recipe into these Waffle Bites

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This recipe is near and dear to my heart. Nana’s potato pancakes were a tradition in our house.  If we had mashed potatoes for dinner, I knew we would have potato pancakes for breakfast the next day.  They are crispy, tender, and full of love. I wanted to honor her classic recipe and make it even more extra special. 

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By altering the recipe just slightly and cooking them in a waffle maker, you get something extra special!  They have perfectly crispy edges and delightful little pockets of potato goodness.  And the waffle pattern is ready to hold all your favorite toppings!

Ingredients to make these Waffled Potato Pancake Bites

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Please use what you have on hand.  This recipe is meant to make a new recipe from your leftovers.

Pantry ingredients – flour, baking powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, white pepper

Refrigerator ingredients – leftover mashed potatoes, milk, eggs, cheddar cheese, cooked bacon, sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, horseradish

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Instructions to make these Mashed Potato Bites

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Preheat your waffle iron so it’s ready when you are.  Then combine your mashed potatoes or leftover baked potatoes with cream, eggs, cheese, bacon, chives, flour, baking powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, and white pepper in a large mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.  The batter should be between pancake batter and waffle batter.  It spreads but not too runny. 

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When the batter is ready and your waffle iron is hot, pour 2 to 3 tablespoons in the center of the waffle iron.  You don’t want to fill the well complete.  You just want a rough circle in the center.  Close the waffle iron and cook the waffles following your waffle iron instructions.  I cooked mine for between 5 to 6 minutes for a nice crispy outside. 

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It might take a round or two to figure out the perfect time for your waffle iron.  But that’s okay because you get to taste test the “failures.”  For crispier bites, place the waffles on a rack over a sheet pan.  If you like the softer kind, just put them on a plate.

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Make the sauce by combining the sour cream with the mayonnaise, bacon, green onions, and horseradish sauce.  Stir until combined and refrigerated until you’re ready to serve.

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Just look at that delicious goodness!!  You can see the flecks of onion and bacon.  Then there’s browned bits of cheddar in the potatoes.  You can see the bacon flecks in the cream and the chive and bacon topping. You can just imagine the flavor explosion that will hit your mouth.  These waffled potato pancake bites are like those potato chips; you can’t eat just one. 

Wonderful Waffle Recipes

• Banana Waffles from That Recipe
• Peaches and Cream Buttermilk Waffles from Creative Cynchronicity
• Waffled Twice Baked Potato Pancake Bites from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Whole Wheat Waffles from Art of Natural Living

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