Potato and cheese waffles with bacon and cranberry jam

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 450 g potatoes, mainly waxy
• 80 g cheese, spicy (e.g. mountain cheese or cheddar) in one piece
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp chives, fresh
• ½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp oil, e.g. rapeseed oil
• 75 g bacon
• 1 m.-large onion(s), red
• 3 tbsp cranberries from the jar
• 50 ml port wine
• 2 tbsp raw cane sugar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, dark
• 2 allspice berries
• 1 pinch of chili flakes
• n. B. Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

Peel, wash, and grate the potatoes. Squeeze the grated potatoes in a sieve, if necessary. Grate the cheese in the same way. Peel and finely dice the onion. Remove the rind from the bacon, if necessary, and dice the bacon. Grind the allspice berries in a mortar and pestle, and cut the chives into small rings. For the waffles, place the grated potatoes in a bowl. Add the eggs, grated cheese, chives, nutmeg, salt, and flour, and mix thoroughly. Brush the waffle iron with oil and set it to about 2/3 of its maximum heat. Pour in the potato mixture and bake until crispy. I used a waffle iron for thicker Belgian waffles. The baking time was about 12 minutes. I set the heat to full for the last two minutes. If the temperature is too high at the beginning, the waffles will brown too quickly on the outside but will still be too raw on the inside. Therefore, bake a little longer at a lower heat. The specified amount for 2 people was enough for 4 Belgian waffles for me. If you’re using a waffle iron for heart-shaped waffles, you’ll need to reduce the baking time because the waffles will be thinner. While the waffles are baking, prepare the bacon and cranberry jam. Melt the bacon in a small saucepan without fat over medium heat. Add the diced onions to the rendered fat and sauté briefly. Deglaze with the port wine. Add the cranberries, raw cane sugar, allspice, and chili flakes and simmer for about 10 minutes over low to medium heat until the jam has a syrupy consistency. Depending on the juiciness of the cranberries, you may need to add a little more water. Finally, stir in the balsamic vinegar and season with salt. Served with a green salad, this dish makes a complete meal. Note: This is a fairly low-fat preparation for the potato mixture. However, don’t expect potato pancakes, as potato pancakes only get their typical flavor from being cooked in plenty of fat.