Loaded Baked Potato Cakes
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds russet potatoes
- 2 cups broccoli, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups white onion, chopped
- 7 slices thick cut bacon, diced (¾ cup cooked)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 2/3 cups Japanese panko bread crumbs
- 8 oz tub sour cream
- 1 pack fresh chives
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°.Rinse, peel and cut potatoes into a large dice. Place into a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and a lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.
Dice bacon and cook in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp and the oil has rendered, about 1-2 minutes. Drain bacon grease into a small bowl and place cooked bacon on a paper-towel lined plate.
Add 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease back into the pan to gently sauté the broccoli and onion just until soft, about 1 minute. Broccoli should still be bright green and al dente.
Drain cooked potatoes and then mash with butter, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and cheddar cheese. Add the cooked bacon. Mix well. Form the mixture into 19 cakes using a 1/3 cup measuring cup. Gently coat with a generous layer of panko breadcrumbs and place onto two foil-lined baking sheets.
Using the same non-stick skillet and leftover bacon grease, brown all cakes, about 1 minute per side, until golden. (If you do not want to use the bacon grease, you can also use canola or another neutral flavored oil). Wipe out any crumbs in between each batch. Then return cakes to the baking sheets and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cut chives.
