Adapted from Ina Garten and Nick DiGiovanni

• 1-1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut into chunks
• 2 strips of Maple and Lemon Bacon, finely chopped (recipe below)
• 2/3 cup cheddar, grated
• 2 tbsp. melted butter, plus more for the waffle iron (Nick adds browned butter to the hash browns and a spray for the waffle iron)
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten (I used large)
• 1 tbsp. AP flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. Kosher salt 
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• creme fraiche and chives, chopped to garnish (Nick’s suggestions)

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Preheat a Belgian or standard waffle iron on medium-high heat. It might be better to use a regular waffle iron as I added cheese and bacon and the deep pockets of my Belgian iron didn’t cook them to my satisfaction. (Belgian waffle was one of Ina’s suggestions but not Nicks). The taste is amazing even with a slight sweet touch from the candied bacon. Seasonings were perfect and hash browns can be  made without cheese and/or bacon.

You need to work quickly with potatotes as they turn very quickly. Grate the potatoes in a food processor (make sure you get all the potatoes grated) fitted with the grating disk; or grate them by hand. Place the potatoes on a clean kitchen towel and spread them out. Working quickly, roll the towel up like a jelly roll. Press firmly to squeeze out any moisture but not so hard that you break up the potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Grate the onion the same way you grated the potatoes, spreading it out on the kitchen towel and squeezing out the moisture; ombine with potatoes in the  bowl. Add the butter, egg, flour, 1-1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and mix with a fork. I also added 2 slices of Nick’s Maple and Lemon Bacon, chopped and 2/3 cup cheddar cheese. Nick boils his potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes; drains and rinses under cold water. Dry the potatoes thoroughly and then grate them.

Once the waffle iron is hot, brush both sides generously with melted butter. I like to use a non-stick spray. Place a generous 1/4 (Nick’s suggestion) or 1/3 cup of the potato mixture on each of the waffle divisions, spreading it out with a fork, but not too thinly. Cook for 5-10 minutes, depending on your waffle iron, until the potatoes are browned and crisp. Tranfer the potatoes, brown side up, to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes while you prepare the next batch. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make 8 hash browns. 

Maple and Lemon  Bacon (Nick DiGiovanni):

• 1 lb. uncured bacon (see comment)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• lemon  zest to finish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire  rack on top of the foil. Arrange the bacon you want to cook across the baking rack. Using a pastry brush, coat the bacon with maple syrup and sprinkle brown  sugar on top.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes; turn and bake another 10 minutes or so.

Comment: To be honest I have been an Oscar Mayer lover since I was a child and never thought about uncured or cured bacon. I don’t eat much any more because I knew it was a processed food. But Nick brought up uncured bacon and I had to check it out. All bacon must be cured before consumption but uncured is cured with natural nitrates and not synthetically sourced nitrates and nitrites. The package of bacon should state that it is sodium nitrate-free which can put your health at risk. What I used says it has no added nitrates which are possible carcinogens. Anyways, I found this info to be confusing but the USDA is working on making this issue easier to understand.

All I can say for now is that the next time I need bacon it might be uncured.

Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com