Loaded Potato Cakes

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword loaded-potato-cakes, mashed-potato-cakes, potato-cakes-recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 18

Servings servings

Calories 404kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

In a large bowl mix together the cold potatoes, cream cheese and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, seasonings and baking powder until fully combined then mix into the potatoes. Add the cheese, bacon and chives, reserving a small amount of each for garnishing. Mix well.
Use a 4 oz ice cream scoop to separate the potato mixture into cakes. Carefully roll in the crushed potato chips and shape. Place onto a parchment lined pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes. [Tip: Cold potato cakes will better maintain their shape when frying.]
To prepare, heat a couple of drizzles of vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet with 1 Tbsp butter. When the butter has melted add the potato cakes.
Fry over medium-high in batches for 3-4 minutes per side, turning as needed until golden brown on both sides. Add additional oil and 1 Tbsp butter to the pan between batches.
Use a spatula to transfer to a platter or non-stick pan and keep warm while frying all of the potato cakes.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of chives, shredded cheese and crumbled bacon.
How to Make Air Fryer Loaded Potato Cakes:
Prepare the loaded potato cakes per the recipe.
Place onto a sheet pan and into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm.
Spray lightly with cooking spray then arrange in the basket of an air fryer without touching leaving room for air to circulate.
Cook at 375°F for 10-12 minutes, gently flipping halfway through cooking. Cook in batches, if needed.

Use Cold Potatoes - Please note it's imperative that the potatoes are cold and not too thin or soft. If they aren't they won't hold together.
Cheese - You can use any flavor of shredded cheese that you like. Colby jack cheese, swiss cheese, mild cheddar cheese, gruyere cheese or pepper jack for a hint of spice.
Onions - You could use finely chopped green onions in place of chives.
Lighter Dairy - To lighten these up just a smidge, use light shredded cheese, light butter and sour cream.
Bacon - You can use turkey bacon or diced ham instead of bacon.
Potato Chips - The crispy potato chip coating adds something special to the flavor of these potato cakes. I typically use Ranch flavored chips, but you could use sour cream and onion, too.
Breadcrumbs - You could also use panko breadcrumbs as a coating in place of chips.
Oil and Butter - I recommend frying these mashed potato cakes in a combination of vegetable oil and butter. The oil helps to prevent the milk solids in the butter from burning. You could also fry them in bacon grease.
Clean Skillet - You can wipe the skillet with paper towels between batches, to prevent burning the potato patties.
Appetizer Size - You can use a small scoop to make these potato patties to serve as an appetizer.
Optional Toppings and Serving - You can serve these potato cakes garnished with fresh herbs like parsley or rosemary and skip the sour cream opting for a side of ranch dressing for dipping.