Loaded Potato Cakes

A crispy spin on loaded baked potatoes!

4 slices of bacon, chopped
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 garlic cloves, pressed
¼ cup sour cream (use low fat to reduce calories)
¼ cup chicken broth
¾ cup fresh bread, diced (I used a crusty artisan bread that was about to go stale)
2 green onions, finely sliced
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup of Panko bread crumbs

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook potatoes until fork tender, about 20 minutes; drain and set aside.

In a large frying pan over med-high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan and transfer to a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil. Use the bacon grease to fry the potato cakes, or wipe out the bacon grease and replace with vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, or your Kitchen Aid, combine all ingredients except Panko bread crumbs. Once combined, make potato cake patties with your hands. I was able to make 8. Dredge patties in Panko bread crumbs.

Make sure the oil in the frying pan is still hot and cook the potato cakes on each side for about 3-4 minutes, until crispy and brown. You will probably need to cook them in several batches to give them enough room to cook and so you can flip them.

Enjoy your potato cakes with a grilled steak and veggies.

NOTE: I froze some of the potato cakes to use for a future breakfast in place of hash browns. Yum!