Adrienne Cheatham's Tater Tot Waffles with Candied Bacon Recipe

'Using tater tots instead of grating whole potatoes makes cooking breakfast faster and easier,' says the chef and author of the new Sunday Best cookbook.

Photo: Caitlin Bensel

"Using tater tots instead of grating whole potatoes makes cooking breakfast faster and easier," says chef Adrienne Cheatham. "The hash brown waffles get super crunchy, and the way the brown sugar caramelizes on the bacon is so amazing!"

The former Top Chef star and author of the new Sunday Best cookbook says her inspiration for this recipe comes from her "undying love for all things potato and waffle. Growing up we would put hash browns in the toaster to get them crunchy and eat them with different toppings like bacon and syrup. This is like a grown-up way to recreate that."

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 lb. sliced applewood-smoked bacon
• ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• Cooking spray
• 2 lbs.s frozen potato Tots, thawed
• 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt
• 1 cup maple syrup, warmed

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1Preheat oven to 375°. Arrange bacon in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook bacon in oven for 7 minutes; flip slices, and cook another 5 minutes.
• Step 2Meanwhile stir together brown sugar, pepper and ginger in a small bowl. Once bacon has cooked on both sides, sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over tops of slices. Reduce oven temperature to 350°, and continue cooking until bacon is crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain.
• Step 3While bacon cooks, preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Spray waffle iron on both sides with cooking spray. Arrange a quarter of the Tots in a tight, even layer in waffle iron.
• Step 4Close waffle iron, pressing hard to flatten the Tots; cook until Tots are nicely browned and crispy all over, about 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining Tots to make three more waffles. Sprinkle waffles with flaky salt, and serve with candied bacon and warm syrup.