No matter where I have traveled to in our Country, there is one thing that is always consistent-Waffle House- whether in Alabama, Tennessee, Maryland, Pennsylvania, or even Arizona you always know what you are getting when you sit down at the counter (which I really think is cool). The way orders are taken and then “called” to the cook (who always gets it right) is just amazing and the food is always fresh and delicious. In honor of all the great experiences I’ve had I make my own version using Latkes instead of hashbrowns and fermented hot sauce instead of bottled hot sauce. I call this my “Waffle House tribute”.

Ingredients: 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes peeled, 1 small onion, 5 eggs, 1/3-1/2 cup AP flour, three tablespoons duck fat, 1 cup of instant grits (cooked), 1 large jalapeno, 3 ¼ pieces of pork roll or 6 pieces of bacon, 1-2 tbsp fermented Fresno pepper hot sauce, 2 homemade biscuits, 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp apple butter or peach jalapeno jelly.

  1. Latkes
    • Grate the potatoes into a towel and dry them out as much as possible, then add to bowl. Finely chop the onion and jalapeno, add to the bowl and mix.
    • Beat one egg then add to the bowl along with about 1/3 cup of flour, and about 1 tsp of salt. Mix everything together again- if it’s too loose add some more flour. I use a large, slotted spoon to keep the pancake size uniform while making the latke “pancakes”.
    • Heat the duck fat in a cast iron pan heat to 350 degrees F and add the latkes carefully, let cook on one side till they start to brown, then turn over till the other side’s brown- remove from pan to a rack.
    • These can be made ahead of time and can be kept warm in the oven and are great for leftovers.
  2. To prepare the rest of the meal I use the following steps:
    • We always have fresh homemade biscuits on hand or in the freezer, cut the two biscuits in half and place on grill until browned, then top one half with apple butter the other with our peach jalapeno jelly, and plate.
    • Yes, I use instant grits. I’m sure that’s not acceptable to many folks, but I follow the package directions to get about 1 cup. The age-old struggle on how to dress grits is a deeply personal thing, I just use some butter and S&P.
    • In a large oiled non-stick pan, once it’s heated up, crack the 4 remaining eggs, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook on first side till they stiffen up, then carefully flip over for about 1 minute or so (longer if you like harder yolks), place 2 on each plate, then add 1 tbsp fermented hot sauce.
    • Normally I get bacon with my Waffle House breakfast but being from Philly I really like pork roll or scrapple when I can find it!
    • Finally add a latke (or two) to each plate and you are good to go all day!