Flavors of the Southwest come together in the Ultimate Waffle Poutine. Jalapeño, Cheddar, and Chorizo Gravy are topped with the perfect poached egg for International Waffle Day!

Waffle Poutine, you say?  Why yes, and it’s delicious!

Guess what you guys!? International Waffle Day is March 25th! Who even knew there was such a thing? I can tell you that I didn’t until a few years ago and I’ll tell you what….I need more waffles in my life. Doesn’t everyone?  I was the waffle girl as a child.  I mean I liked pancakes but waffles just appealed to me a bit more.  I’m not sure if it was the crisp texture or all of the individual wells that I could fill up with whatever I was craving. Okay, so it was mostly butter and syrup but come on…..how awesome is that.

Was I the only one who didn’t know what Poutine is?

As I’ve grown of course my taste buds have been enlightened a bit and I don’t always reach for mounds of butter and liters of syrup.  I like to experiment with my waffles and switch them up. Full disclosure, I didn’t even know what Poutine really was until about 7 years ago. I’d heard of it and couldn’t really wrap my brain around fries, gravy, and cheese.  A friend of mine, who is married to a gentleman from Wales, had asked us to accompany them to dinner one night at a Gastropub.  She ordered Poutine for the table and I was so stinking excited to finally get my hands on some.

Needless to say…the rest was history. I started dreaming of waffle poutine from that moment!  If I see poutine on the menu somewhere I am trying it.  It has become one of those dishes that I judge the other food in the establishment based on how well they can nail the Poutine.  I’m the same way with Patty Melts but that’s a story for another day.

So what is International Waffle day and why should I care?

Well, I personally believe we should care because…..waffles. The waffle is a pretty interesting little fellow dating back to the Neolithic Age where they cooked the pulp of cereal on heated stones and flipped them over to continue the cooking process.  Sound familiar? Yes, these were very crude hotcakes or pancakes if you will.  It wasn’t until the 13th century when craftsman forged cooking irons with the infamous honeycomb pattern to bring us where we are today.  Waffles are so popular that we actually can celebrate them on two days.  March 25th and August 24th.

March 25th International Waffle Celebration!

The March 25th waffle celebration started in Sweden and happens at the same time as the Feast of the Annunciation celebration. According to research, the Feast of Annunciation is also known as “Our Lady’s Day” which means Swedish women will set aside their winter tasks and cook waffles. I believe it also signifies the beginning of Spring as those winter tasks are no longer important.  You really don’t need wood chopped in mass quantities or wool sweaters knitted for the entire village.

August 24th National Waffle Celebration!

When August 24th rolls around we will have another reason to celebrate waffles as this was the day that Mr. Cornelius Swarthout receives his patent for the first U.S. waffle iron. You can read more about it here

Waffles are history. I love food history. Period! Along with understanding the advancement of mankind, the meaning of life, how atoms are formed……..okay, I’m getting sidetracked. My apologies. Back to it!

Let’s make the Ultimate Southwestern Waffle Poutine!

Now that we understand why we have these food holidays and even if you don’t really care why and you love waffles let’s get to making delicious happen.

In an effort to keep this recipe simple, I opted to use pre-made waffle mix.  Not my pre-made waffle mix, however, store-bought mix.  I wanted to be sure this recipe was simple and widely available to anyone so we can all celebrate waffles!

First, you’ll want to get your Jalapenos and Cheddar prepared so the batter will come together quickly.  Start by finely dicing one Jalapeno and shredding 1 and 1/4 cups sharp cheddar.

Place two cups of pre-made waffle mix into a bowl and add in 1-1/3 cups of milk. Stir to combine.

Add in 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 egg.  Mix well.

Add in the cheddar and jalapeno that you prepared and mix well.

Above all, make sure that your waffle iron is preheated and the light is on under the “ready” function.  I love my waffle maker….the one I use is by Cuisinart.  It has ceramic plates so nothing ever sticks and it is a breeze to clean.  With the outer surface being stainless steel that is super simple to wipe off as well.  The unit spins sideways for simple and easy storage too.  ANYway, back to our waffles 🙂

I tend to always over fill my waffle irons.  I want every piece of deliciousness cooked into my dish as possible.  However, during this process I have learned that a measurement of 3/4 cup of batter makes a full waffle.

With the additional ingredients in the batter I do reccommend cooking the waffle for 30 – 45 seconds past the ready indication light.

If you do….what you end up with is a perfect, beautiful, crispy waffle that can be devoured.

When making waffles you’ll want to cool them on a cooling rack.  If they are stacked and held to serve later, the steam that continues to release makes the waffle soggy.  I do not enjoy soggy waffles.  You will be very happy if you cool them where air can reach both sides of the waffle.

Once they are cool to the touch you’ll want to divide them into the 4 sections that the waffle iron patterns out for you and then cut each quarter in half to make the “fries”.

A quick note on the chorizo gravy for your waffle poutine.  This can be made a few days ahead of time to cut down your nightly time in the kitchen.  I’m a huge fan of component dishes and if you follow along with my blog you’ll know that.  Anyone can cook a dish that “seems” complicated.  All you have to do is break it down into components and voila, simple weeknight dinner or weekend brunch!

The chorizo gravy is a basic gravy using drippings.  Well, you have to help the chorizo with the dripping portion because it really doesn’t produce a lot.  BUT if you add in a half cup of water and let it sit for two minutes, you will have the drippings you need.

Simply remove the chorizo from the pan with a slotted spoon and continue making the gravy as you would a pan gravy.  Using the same pan and adding water, milk and a cornstarch slurry. All of these details are typed out for you in the actual recipe so you can easily follow along.  You’ll add half the cooked Chorizo to the gravy itself and reserve the other half for additional topping.

Putting your Waffle Poutine together!

Most importantly, top your Southwestern waffles with the chorizo gravy, additional chorizo, parsley, cilantro and a poached egg.  You could also add a fried egg OR scramble an egg with the set-aside chorizo.

However you choose to top your Southwestern Waffle Poutine I hope you enjoy! Celebrate International Waffle Day with your loved ones!  We had these for dinner as I’m a big fan of breakfast for dinner.

How will you be celebrating International Waffle Day and what team are you on? Team Pancake or Team Waffle?

Live, Love, Eat!

xoxo

Love trying out different recipes?  Check out How To Make The Best Swedish Meatballs

Print Recipe

How To Make The Ultimate Southwestern Waffle Poutine

Flavors of the Southwest come together in the Ultimate Waffle Poutine. Jalapeno, Cheddar, and Chorizo Gravy are topped with the perfect poached egg for International Waffle Day!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Cuisine: International

Servings: 6

Author: Oven Struck

Ingredients

For The Waffles

• 2 cups pre-made waffle mix
• 1 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 jalapeno - diced
• 1 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese - shredded

For The Chorizo Gravy

• 1 pound fresh chorizo sausage
• 1 cup water - filtered
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp water + 2 tablespoons cornstarch for slurry

Optional

• Fresh chopped Cilantro and/or Parsley

Instructions

The Waffles

• Preheat your waffle iron to the setting of number 4 and prepare your batter
• Finely dice one jalapeno, removing the seeds and membrane. Shred the cheddar cheese and set aside.
• Prepare the batter by adding the dry waffle mix, milk, egg, butter and finally the jalapeno and cheddar. Be sure to mix thoroughly between each addition.
• Place 3/4 cups of batter into the waffle iron close and flip the waffle iron over. Wait an additional 30-45 seconds past the "ready" light indicator before removing your waffles. Continue cooking until batter is gone.

Chorizo Gravy

• Preheat a pan on the stove and add in your chorizo sausage. Once sausage is cooked, add in 1/2 cup of water and let simmer for 2 minutes.
• Remove chorizo from the pan and prepare your gravy.
• Add in water, milk and cornstarch slurry and bring to a boil whisking frequently.
• Once your gravy has boiled, reduce to a simmer and add in half of the cooked chorizo. Stir.

Assemble

• Cut each waffle into 8 equal triangular pieces and arrange on a platter.
• Ladle gravy over top the waffles. Add additional chorizo as desired.
• Add poached egg and break open so the yolk pours over the waffle "fries".

Optional

• Chopped Cilantro and Parsley