Old Fashioned Potato Pancakes
Today Folks we have an old classic, I’m talking about Crispy Bacon Potato Pancakes.
Today we will be making Potato Pancakes. The reason I like these pancakes are they are crispy on the outside but have a soft center. Did I mention they also have bacon and cheese in them? Can’t go wrong there folks. So for this recipe you’re going to need to start with leftover mashed potatoes, and I can already hear you, “Kent we never have leftover mashed potatoes”, well make extra because you’re gonna need ’em!
Your leftovers need to be chillin’
The best way to start with these taters is chilled. We’re actually going to chill them again after we get all the ingredients mixed in because it makes them bind and easier to form into patties. … So best to take leftovers that you have in the ice box chillin.
Bacon, please!
You may remember me telling you in the title “Crispy Bacon Potato Pancakes”. You got to have some bacon, not only will it give you some great flavor, but more importantly, we will need the grease to fry these in. Now I took about 5 slices of thick cut bacon and fried it up to almost crispy. Take them out of the skilet to cool slightly then dice them up. I also recommend you adding a few more as a snack… I don’t want y’all to starve!
We also add in some green onions…
or as my good friend Justin Wilson would say ” Some green Un Yawns.”
Don’t forget the cheese. Today I’m using finely grated pepper jack cheese, but you can use any cheese you like. We need a binding agent so we’re gong to stir in two “Cackleberries” (that’s eggs folks). I’m adding a teaspoon of bacon powder to make these little fellers pop and make sure you stir this all together well.
Does it stick to the spoon?
Now its time to bring on the ‘taters! I’m going to use about 2 1/2 cups of those leftover ‘taters. Even though you may have seasoned your ‘taters, I like to add a little more of our Red River Ranch Original seasoning.
Now, everyone’s mashed potatoes will be a different consistency, so we are going to start out with 1/2 cup of flour and stir into the egg mixture. You want to add flour until those taters stick to the spoon when you hold it up nicely.
Now you could just heat up that bacon grease and go to frying, WRONG.
You want to put this mixture in the ice box and let em chill for about 10 minutes,
After 10 minutes, you want to flour your board and take about 1/3 cup of the mashed potato mixture and start making them into a patty. Folks, be sure to flour you hands because these sticky little fellers will want to get all over you! I like to make them into about 1/2-inch thick by about 3-inch round patties.
In this time you can go ahead and start heating up that bacon grease over a medium heat. Go ahead and get yourself a spatula cause your gonna need it.
Fry in Bacon Grease
Now before your go to dropping these into the grease go ahead and shake off the excess flour off each one before you add it the skillet with the leftover bacon grease. We will want to fry them about 4 minutes on each side.
You may notice on the second batch you need more bacon grease in the skillet.
You can add in any type of “awl” you have (that’s Okie for oil). I just happen to be using avocado oil today, just pour in a little as you need it while frying the rest of the pancakes.
Serve for breakfast, as a side dish or snack!
That there’s all you need folks to make yourself some good old fashioned MMM MMM potato pancakes. You can serve this with eggs for breakfast, with ketchup or my older brother Randy even ate them covered in maple syrup.
Before y’all leave remember these tips…
- You gotta make extra potatoes to have the leftovers for this dish.
- Make sure the ‘taters are chilled before you start and chill after you mix in the ingredients before forming into patties.
- Save that bacon grease in the skillet- it’s always a good idea to save bacon grease in the fridge for any emergency usage.
If you’re looking for another creative use for mashed ‘taters – check out our Potato Bomb recipe too!
If you want more tips, check out our full video below. May God bless you until we see you in camp again!
Potato Pancakes - Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 5 slices thick-cut bacon
- ½ cup grated pepper jack cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped green onion
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 ½ cups leftover mashed potatoes chilled
- ½ - 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus more for coating
- Red River Ranch Original seasoning or salt and pepper
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until done. Remove and place on paper towel to cool, then dice. Reserve the bacon grease in the skillet.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the cheese, onion, eggs, baking powder, mashed potatoes and diced bacon. Begin by stirring in ½ cup of flour. You want the consistency of the potatoes to stick to the spoon and not be too runny. Stir in additional flour as needed.
- Cover and place the potato mixture in the ice box for about 10 minutes to chill.
- Lightly flour your hands and scoop out about ⅓ cup of the potato mixture and form into a 3-inch wide by ½-inch thick patty. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture.
- Lightly coat the outside of each patty with flour and place on a cutting board or cookie sheet.
- Return to the bacon skillet and heat the grease over medium-high heat.
- Place the patties, a few at a time, in the skillet and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy. You may need to add more cooking oil (vegetable, avocado, etc.) to the skillet as you fry additional batches.
- Place the potato pancakes a wire rack or paper towel to cool slightly. Serve warm.
