Hack Of The Day: Waffled Croque Madame

That's right, you can make an egg-topped waffle, best eaten in the form of a croque madame (French-style grilled ham 'n Gruyère with a fried egg). Don't those crisp little checkerboard edges just scream "make me for that special someone (even if that someone is yourself)?"

First, make your waffle. Here's pretty much the only waffle recipe you need. Set it aside, clear any errant crumbs out of the waffle iron, then brush the surface with plenty of butter. Even if the waffle iron is nonstick, it will still probably need some because eggs notoriously stick to surfaces.

Fry the egg without closing the lid until the white is set to your liking. Meanwhile, top the waffle with ham and Gruyère (and a swipe of bechamel if you have some handy) and broil to melt the cheese. UNPLUG THE WAFFLE IRON and carefully poke/lift the egg out using a combination of implements. Forks, chopsticks and spatulas work well as long as they're not made of plastic. Hacking an appliance like this does mean exercising extra common sense. Place the egg on top of the waffle and serve immediately.

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