Ham and Gruyère Waffles

I had the rare opportunity to sleepover at my moms this weekend, and relished our morning coffee time in PJs. When I realized she had both ham and gruyère on hand, I knew we must make these waffles.  I don't make waffles often because, unlike pancakes which require only a bowl and a whisk, I have to go to the trouble of getting out the hand mixer to beat the egg whites which just seems like too much effort for a weekend morning.  These waffles, however, are worth the effort.  They are perfect with mimosas for brunch, and as soon as I perfect a complementary herbed butter I'll be a millionaire. Cheddar or Swiss would be just as good, but the gruyère adds a little je ne sais quoi.  (See there how I used a French expression and made it sound fancy without really describing anything?  That's what makes these waffles so good.)

Start with any waffle recipe. I used this one from Serious Eats, and they were deliciously light, moist and crisp. I did add a little sugar to get the crisp golden bits.  And we subbed almond milk and coconut oil.  

Butter the waffle iron. Oh yeah...

Spoon a little batter onto the iron, then sprinkle the cheese and ham, and spoon a little more batter on top.  I suppose you could mix the ham and cheese into the batter but I was also making plain waffles for the wee one, who switched to these after she tasted mine. 

The batter doesn't need to cover the surfaces because it will squish together anyway, just sort of drizzle and drip it around.

You want some of the ham and cheese touching the iron for those crispy bites. 

Top with whatever your little heart desires and enjoy!  They don't really NEED anything on top, and I love to break the waffles into sections and just eat them by hand - especially for toddlers.  They're best if eaten immediately while they are crisp.  I haven't figured out a way to re-crisp yet.  I was stacking then as I made them and they started to steam and go limp. And who wants a limp waffle?