Bacon and Cheddar Mashed Potato Patties

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but my Mom often made us kids a simple supper of mashed potato pancakes. It certainly stretched the food budget, but it was also the best comfort food—crispy outsides and creamy insides. I think Mom would love the addition of green onions, bacon and sharp cheddar.

Ingredients (makes about 15-18):

3 cups leftover Parslied New Potatoes

2 eggs

1/3 cup chopped green onions

4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3-4 Tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 cup dry, seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions: Place the mashed potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add the eggs. Use an electric mixer to blend them smooth. Add in the green onions, bacon and cheese. If the mixture is really sticky, add some instant potato flakes or a little flour. You want cakes that hold together.

Form the mashed potato mixture into balls a little bigger than golf balls, using damp hands.  Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl and coat each cake in the bread crumbs (don’t discard the leftover bread crumbs yet). Place on a plate and flatten slightly with you palm. Let rest in the fridge 30 minutes.

Heat 2 Tbs. of oil in a large skillet on medium. Then, put the cakes back in the bread crumbs, shaking off any excess and add the pancakes in batches to the skillet. Cook for about 5 or so minutes per side or until nicely golden. Tip: Do a test patty first—it will let you know if you need to adjust the heat and/or time.

Add more oil as you need it. Note: you may want to clean out your skillet and add more oil between batches, especially if you have lots of browned crumbs in the pan.

Keep the first batch on a baking sheet in a warm oven until you are finished.