Photo : Claire Lower

I don’t know if you can tell or not, but I recently purchased a waffle maker, and have been testing the limits of what can be waffled. (Prosciutto waffles very well, as it turns out.) I already had plans to waffle any and all leftover stuffing, and mashed potatoes seemed like the rational next step.




I know what you are going to say—“Leftover mashed potatoes?? WHaT aRe tHoSe??”—and I am begging you to not say it. If you make the correct amount of food for Thanksgiving (i.e., too much) you will have leftovers of everything, including mashed potatoes. Those potatoes should be waffled, and they should be waffled with a large amount of cheese. The parm forms a crust around the fluffy potatoes, helping the waffle keep its shape. It also tastes extremely good. To make parmesan-crusted mashed potato waffles, you will need:

Mashed potatoes

Grated parmesan cheese

Scoop a quarter cup of mashed potatoes into a little ball, then gently flatten it to form a three-inch disk. Press both sides of the disk into the cheese, repeat as needed, and set the little pucks aside.


Heat a non-stick waffle iron to its second highest setting. You may have to play around with this a little, but I set my Cuisinart waffle maker to a 4 (out of 5) and that was perfect. Once the waffle maker is heated, place a potato puck in the center, and close the waffle maker.

Leave it alone until your waffle maker indicates it is done. I don’t know how your waffle maker works, but the light on mine changes from red to green. Unlike stuffing waffles, you cannot check on these part-way through the cooking process, as the mashed potatoes will be too soft, the crust will not be fully formed, and the waffle will tear in half. Once the waffle is done, gently remove it from the maker (a chopstick can help you get in the grooves) and serve immediately. These are extremely good with cranberry sauce, which I assume you have left over as well.