BLT Waffle Sliders

Justin's first high school football game. GISH JV versus Kearney, Friday night, under the lights. I was there. Dave was there. Gayle was there, in her lawn chair, in her mask, in her blanket because Gayle believes September begins in August and fall weather follows Gayle's calendar, not the earth's. Tyler was there. Josie was there. Amber was there, which surprised me because Amber does not usually come to football games, but Amber came to this one because this one is Justin's first, and the first matters, and Amber knows about firsts because her first — her first day in our house, her first night in a bed that was not the bed where the worst thing happened — those firsts mattered, and she honors firsts, all firsts, because the firsts are the beginning of the new thing, and the new thing is the only thing.

Justin played the entire game. He made four tackles and broke up a pass on the goal line — the receiver was open and Justin was not, and Justin closed the distance with a speed that does not come from training, it comes from somewhere deeper, somewhere that knows about closing distances, about being between a thing that is coming and a thing that needs protecting. The coach said he played like a senior. Dave said he played like a Novak. Both were right.

GISH won, 21-14. Justin came out of the locker room with his hair wet and his eyes shining and he said we won, Mom, and the 'we' was everything — not I, not they, but we. He belongs to something. The belonging is the miracle. The miracle is not the winning. The miracle is the we.

I made pulled pork sliders for the post-game — slow cooker pulled pork on Hawaiian rolls, coleslaw on top. Justin brought two teammates home. They ate in the kitchen with the specific hunger of teenage boys who have just played a football game, and the hunger was bottomless, and I fed it, and the feeding was my contribution to the we.

I had pulled pork in the slow cooker all day, but when Justin called to say he was bringing two teammates home, I wanted something they could grab and stack and eat standing at the counter the way teenage boys eat — fast, happy, and without ceremony. These BLT Waffle Sliders were exactly that: little crispy waffle buns holding bacon and tomato and cool lettuce, the kind of food that asks nothing of anyone, that just sits on the plate and says you did something tonight, eat up. The we needed feeding, and these fed it.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 8 sliders (4 servings)

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 strips thick-cut bacon
2 medium Roma tomatoes, sliced thin
1 cup butter lettuce or romaine leaves, torn
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the bacon. Lay bacon strips in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook 4–5 minutes per side until crispy. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. When cool, break or cut each strip in half crosswise.
Make the waffle batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. In a separate small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined — a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix.
Cook the mini waffles. Preheat a mini waffle iron and lightly grease with cooking spray. Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter per waffle and cook 3–4 minutes until golden and crisp. Repeat with remaining batter. You should have approximately 16 small waffle rounds.
Mix the spread. Stir together mayonnaise and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Assemble the sliders. Spread a thin layer of the mayo-mustard mixture on the inside face of each waffle round. Layer one waffle with a piece of lettuce, a tomato slice (seasoned lightly with salt), and one halved bacon strip. Top with a second waffle round, pressing gently. Secure with a toothpick if serving for a crowd.
Serve immediately. These are best eaten right away while the waffles are still crisp. Arrange on a platter and watch them disappear.

Nutrition (per serving, 2 sliders)

BLT Waffle Sliders — The Sliders That Fed the We