Potato Waffles with Salmon Roe and Goat Cheese

I was recently reading about potato waffles in Culinaire Saisonnier, and it sounded to me like an original, yet also forehead-slappingly obvious, alternative to potato pancakes. I started to picture a decadent waffle oozing with caviar, though down-to-earth material considerations soon had me downgrading to salmon roe. I wanted to transform the idea into a recipe quickly, instead of putting it in my to-do queue where it might have sat for years. This is also a good recipe for Valentine’s Day, your last big excuse to overindulge until next fall’s holiday season!

Most of the other recipe elements fell into place as I navigated the aisles of of Zabar’s in search of the salmon roe. Chicken sausages? Hey, why not! Goat cheese? Yes, please!

You can either simply slice the cheese, or use it to make whipped cream — can one really eat a waffle without whipped cream? I have a preference for Sainte-Maure, but any other soft goat cheese will do. As for the waffles, you’ll need a waffle maker (duh). I’ve been looking for a stovetop waffle iron that would make real, thick, rectangular Belgian gaufres (like this one), but I haven’t had much luck. The best I’ve found makes significantly smaller waffles. Oh well.

Potato waffles
Yields 4 waffles, 3.5″ x 5″ each

5.3 oz peeled Yukon Gold potato
3 oz butter
1.3 oz flour
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 egg yolks
1 1/2 egg whites
0.2 oz sugar
about 0.5 oz canola oil

• Place the potatoes in a pot of water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender.
• Drain the potatoes, then rice into a bowl, mix in the butter, and let cool for 10 minutes.
• Sift in the flour, and then add the salt and egg yolks, mixing with a spatula.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fit with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the sugar until they form soft peaks. Fold into the potato batter in two additions. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Heat a waffle maker or a waffle iron. Grease with a little bit of canola oil. Pour in some waffle batter and cook following the manufacturer’s instructions. (In my case, the waffles cooked 45 seconds on one side, and 60 seconds on the other side after I flipped the iron.)  Immediately proceed to assembly, as seen below.

Goat cheese whipped cream (optional)
Yields about 4 servings

3.5 oz heavy cream
4.7 oz Sainte-Maure, or other soft goat cheese
1.5 oz milk
salt
black pepper, ground

• Place the cream, goat cheese, and milk in a small saucepan, and set over low heat. Mix with a spatula until the cheese has completely melted, then remove from the heat, and season with salt and pepper. The mixture should be quite salty (but not inedible). Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Pass the cream through a chinois, and transfer into a quarter-liter siphon. Add two N2O (“cream”) cartridges, shake well, and reserve.

My first attempt. I didn’t use the onions and was a little trigger-happy with the goat cheese whipped cream

Assembly
Yields 4 waffles

2 oz peeled onion, thinly sliced
0.4 oz butter
4 chicken-apple sausages, about 2 oz each
0.5 oz canola oil
potato waffles
goat cheese whipped cream, or 6 oz soft goat cheese (e.g., Sainte-Maure), thinly sliced
6 oz salmon roe
about 1 tbsp chopped chives

• In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onion in the butter, stirring regularly, until golden brown. Reserve.
• In a pan over medium heat, sauté the chicken sausages in the canola oil until fully cooked. Let rest for a couple minutes, then cut into thin slices.
• Decorate each potato waffle with goat cheese whipped cream or slices of goat cheese. Top with sliced sausage, onion, and a generous amount of salmon roe — the result should look messy!
• Sprinkle with chives, and serve immediately.