Waffled Mashed Potatoes with Bacon, Scallion, and Cheddar

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups leftover or freshly made fluffy mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and light green parts only
• 1 cup cooked bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. Heat the waffle iron. If yours lets you choose the heat, turn it to medium. To hold the cooked potato waffles while you finish the batch, warm the oven to 225 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, buttermilk, and eggs until combined. Stir in the mashed potatoes, green onions, bacon, and cheese, mixing until everything is nicely distributed.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Fold the dry mixture into the potatoes just until it is worked through evenly.
4. Coat the top and bottom plates of the waffle iron with nonstick spray, then add about 1/2 cup of the potato mixture to each section. Close the iron and cook until the waffles are crisp and golden, about 3 minutes.
5. Lift the waffles out of the iron, transfer them to the warmed oven, and continue cooking the remaining potato mixture the same way.
6. For a leftover Thanksgiving meal, top with gravy, cranberry sauce, and/or turkey. For breakfast or brunch, add a fried egg on top.