My current “vegetable kick” has led me to prepare this waffle rosti with only cauliflower. The cauliflower waffles were quick to make, delicious, and a great way to add hidden veggies to a meal.
My only warning is that you need to be quick between cooking and serving, as I’ve found mine to go from crispy to fluffy in 5 minutes or less. While this was unfortunate for the texture, the waffle shapes were still very comfortable.
I used my Cuisinart griddle with waffle plates preheated to 375°F. My waffle plates have 4 slots of 4×3 inches. I used 1/4 cup batter per slot, adding 2 cups at a time and then accommodating the batter in each slot for easier waffle removal.
Because the slower batter addition cooled my iron lid, I had to flip each waffle to ensure both sides were crispy. That wasn’t difficult. I’ve never had this problem with regular dough, so I assume it’s due to the denser vegetable filling.
Each batch was cooked for a total of 9 minutes, with 1 minute devoted to turning and crisping the top. My waffles were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Since the outside crispiness was short-lived, I recommend keeping the toppings handy.
Since filling the waffle iron took a little longer than usual and each waffle had to be turned on the iron plates, the 4 waffles per portion were pleasantly crispy to eat.
I prepared my meal as a “breakfast for dinner” with a side of Japanese cucumber salad. For toppings, there were three Kewpie mayonnaise with Thai chili jam, Kewpie mayonnaise and blue cheese, and yogurt with spicy chili crisp.
I found the interior a bit greasy and would reduce the amount of oil in the future and forego the mayonnaise topping, although it was negligible. The tangy yogurt topping was the favourite. Salsa would have worked well too.
The garlic salt was salt enough as each person added their own salt and pepper to taste. A sprinkling of chopped green onions and some basil freshened up the flavor.
While this isn’t a recipe I make often, I would keep it in my repertoire of fun vegetarian dishes. You never know when you might need a hidden veggie treat…