It’s Hatch Chile season!

Over the years, I’ve written a lot about my favorite pepper, which is grown only in southern New Mexico’s fertile Mesilla Valley, where perfect conditions allow the chile to develop an intense earthy flavor.

Hatch Chiles are only available in August and September, so time is running out! Melissa’s Produce is roasting the chiles at select locations around the country. Click here to see if there is a roasting event near you.

I doubled down on the Hatch Chiles in this recipe for Hatch Chile Cornbread Waffles with Watermelon & Hatch Chile Salsa. This savory cornbread waffle is also a great base for meat or fish. I served it with grilled chicken for a twist on traditional Chicken and Waffles.

I wanted gluten-free Hatch Chile Cornbread Waffles, so I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but you can also use regular flour along with the corn meal. I also used fish sauce in the Watermelon and Hatch Chile Salsa to add some umami saltiness, but you can add salt to taste.

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Here’s how they do the roasting:

  A video posted by Mama’s High Strung (@mamashighstrung) on Aug 23, 2015 at 1:24pm PDT

Pam asks: I followed your recipe for waffles, but they didn’t turn out crisp. Oh, and I added a mashed banana, too.

Well, Pam, it could be a couple of different things, which I’ll talk about in a bit… but I’m willing to bet adding the banana, without adding more flour, may have made the waffles a bit softer than you wanted.

But, I’ll bet they still had terrific flavor!

For every cup of mashed banana, add ¼ cup flour so your waffles can crisp up on the griddle. You only need to add extra flour if  you are using bananas. With most fruit, you can stir it right into the batter. I prefer topping the waffles with fruit, rather than adding it to the mixture, because the waffles can end up looking like something from the “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”  (if you use strawberries, for example).

Here are a few more waffle-related tips so you’ll have wonderful waffles:

• Make sure the waffle iron is clean before you begin… bits of  last month’s batch of waffles will burn (and a dirty appliance is incredibly gross).

• Use a waffle iron with a nonstick coating. If needed, brush with oil or anti-stick spray. Don’t over grease the griddle!

• Mix the batter in a pitcher to make for easier pouring. If the batter is in a bowl, use a measuring cup to equally portion out the batter.

• When pouring the waffle batter on the griddle, use just enough to fill the griddle compartment. Don’t overfill onto the middle separator or off the sides.

• Use chopsticks or wooden skewers to lift waffles from the waffle griddle to help keep the griddle scratch free.

• Keep waffles warm in a single layer on a rack in a 225°F oven. Don’t stack or wrap them… the steam will make them soggy.

• Clean your waffle iron (when it’s cool) with a toothbrush and a damp cloth. Don’t use abrasive cleaners and NEVER submerge an electric waffle griddle.

For light as air waffles: separate the egg and beat the whites to stiff peaks. Then fold the beaten whites into the batter.

For crispy thin waffles: increase the amount of oil by 1 to 2 teaspoons. Use just enough batter to coat the bottom of the waffle griddle.