Name: Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups of cold mashed potatoes; 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese; 1 cup diced ham; 3 TBS sour cream; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1-1/3 cup panko bread crumbs; 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

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Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes are one of the best ways to use up leftover mashed potatoes. We’ve loaded these with ham, cheese, and sour cream.

I don’t make mashed potatoes very often and I’m not really sure why. But when I do make them, it’s usually a special occasion or a holiday. Which means I make a lot of mashed potatoes. Andy while they are great leftover with some butter and gravy, they are also great for making Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes.

creative combinations for loaded mashed potato cakes

While I made these with diced ham, cheese, sour cream, and some spices, you can really get creative with the combinations. How about a few of these?

Denver Omelette Style – ham, green bell pepper, onion, and cheese.
Ruden Style – Corned beef, swiss cheese, topped with a dollop of thousand island dressing.
Philly Cheesesteak Style – sliced roast beef, cheese, onions, mushrooms, and sweet peppers.
Greek Style – Olives, tomatoes, kale, sour cream, feta cheese.
Thanksgiving Style – Turkey, dressing, gravy, topped with a dollop of cranberry sauce.

baked or fried?

This recipe calls for baking the potato cakes at 375° for 30 minutes. But you can certainly fry them if you’d like. Just add 1-2 TBS of oil to a stovetop skillet and fry the cakes for 4 minutes on each side. Drain them on a plate covered with a paper towel.

Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips

Use cold mashed potatoes because they will hold together better and you won’t have to worry about scrambling the eggs when you add them.
You can use store-bought mashed potatoes instead of making your own if you don’t have any leftovers. Just make sure you buy the prepared mashed potatoes that they sell refrigerated and ready to microwave. Hint: you won’t even have to microwave them. Just mix the ingredients and bake.
I use an ice cream scoop to make sure all of my cakes are the same size.