Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes

1. Fry the bacon until crispy and drain on a paper towel until cool. Crumble into small bits. Place the bacon bits into a large bowl.
2. If using white onion, pour off all but 2 tbsp of bacon grease from the frying pan and cook the garlic and over medium heat until translucent. (If using green onion, no need to precook).
3. Add to the bacon bits along with remaining ingredients (except butter/margarine) and blend well with a spoon or your hands (it’ll be sticky).
4. Wash and dry your frying pan, then melt 1 tbsp of butter or margarine in it over medium heat.
5. Scoop up about 1/4 of a cup of the potato mixture and form it into a ball. Place it in the hot pan, flattening it out until it’s about 1/2 – 3/4″ thick.
6. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side, until they are lightly golden brown.
7. For best results, serve immediately, while hot and crispy.
8. Top with green onions, sour cream or ketchup.

A few of our favorite combos include:

• ham, cheddar, red bell pepper, squeeze of dijon
• leftover taco meat, corn, cheese
• pepperoni, oregano, green pepper, mozzarella
• leftover chicken/turkey, poultry seasoning, leftover stuffing
• sundried tomatoes, oregano & basil, fresh mozzarella
• anything in your fridge 🙂

They can be topped with sour cream, extra bacon bits, sautéed veggies, ketchup, sausage and eggs, basically anything you might have handy!

Notes: