Bacon Cheddar and Onion Potato Cakes

Bacon Cheddar and Onion Potato Cakes

It's Monday and time to head back to a busy work and school week. Meal planning is a big part of making our family's scheduling work while still enjoying a great dinner together each evening. One tip to achieve this is to use your leftovers as effectively as possible. Some mashed potatoes that remained from our meatloaf dinner the other night get the leftover rescue treatment in today's recipe. My 13 year old, Noah, is the resident potato aficionado and this is one of his favorites...and what's not to like?

The mashed potatoes get blended with some red onion, garlic and green onions as well as some crisp-cooked bacon and diced cheddar which melts to gooey pockets right inside the potato cake. They are then fried to a golden crispy exterior while retaining a creamy, delicious inside. An alternative to frying is to roll them in panko crumbs, and place on a lightly oiled parchment lined baking sheet in a 400 degree F for about 20-25 minutes turning at least once during the baking time.

If you have leftover mashed potatoes on the weekend after Friday night dinner, these would also be a fantastic addition to a weekend brunch, especially with steak and eggs.

Makes 12 potato cakes.

In a small saute pan heat over medium heat:

• 2 tbsp olive oil

Add:

• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves minced garlic

Saute for only a couple of minutes until the onions are softened but not browned. Remove from heat and add to:

• 4 cups cold mashed potatoes
• 1 beaten egg
• 4 rounded tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley (or other favorite herbs)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 6 slices crisp cooked, thick cut smoked bacon, chopped
• 1 cup diced cheddar cheese ) about a 1/2 inch dice or smaller

Mix all together well. You will have to use some judgement here. If the mixture seems too wet, add a couple of additional tablespoons of flour to help bind it together.

Form into 12 balls, roll in flour and flatten into potato cakes about an inch thick. Wetting your hands to roll the potato into balls is a good tip if your potatoes are particularly sticky.

Heat a quarter inch of canola oil in a saute pan (or preferably a cast iron pan) over medium heat. Fry for a few minutes on either side until golden brown, drain on paper towels before serving.

Note: these, naturally are very soft potato cakes and need a gentle touch while frying. Do not crowd too many at a time into the pan and give yourself plenty of room to flip them for perfect looking potato cakes.