Cheesy Ham & Potato Cakes

One resolution of mine is to reduce household food waste. One way I do this is by getting creative with leftovers, that way no one is bored by eating the same thing more than once.  This recipe for Cheesy Ham & Potato Cakes is one way to use up both leftover ham and leftover mashed potatoes. A double-win!

Perfect as a side dish or enjoyed on their own, these Cheesy Ham & Potato Cakes are tasty, fluffy and cheesy plus they were a unanimous hit with my whole family the first time I made them which hardly ever happens, lol! Someone typically doesn’t like (or eat due to food allergies).

Raise your hand if a ham is on the menu for you this holiday season!! I am excited to partner up with one of my favorite brands to both work and cook with Hatfield ® for this recipe.

Hatfield is a 120+-year-old family-owned business. Before the roads had cars on them, Hatfield was delivering meats to the doors of Pennsylvanians. Today, Hatfield continues to produce quality meats for far more people than just us here in Pennsylvania!

TIP: This recipe is forgiving and can be varied in a number of ways. I even air fried a few of these cakes just to see if that would work and it did! However, oven baking really is not the way to go, it takes too long and the cakes may end up spreading out too much (it really depends on your mashed potatoes).

You can also load these yummy potato cakes up with additional chopped ham, scallions, crumbled bacon and sour cream if you like. Make them small, medium or large. Comfort food nirvana!

Instructions

This is a great recipe to use up leftover ham and mashed potatoes however its yummy enough that you may want to get the ingredients to make it even without leftovers.

First, gather your ingredients of leftover ham, leftover mashed potatoes, cheeses, scallions, flour egg yolks, panko breadcrumbs, mustard, salt, and pepper.

Next, mix the ingredients together to form the cakes, and then form and coat them in the panko mustard mixture. After that, simply fry in just a bit of cooking spray or olive or grapeseed oil until golden brown and warmed through.

Potato Cakes Variations

• If you enjoy spicy food, add in a minced jalapeno or a few dashes of red (cayenne) pepper.
• You can also add in ½ cup or more caramelized chopped onions (just blot them a bit dry first so they are not too greasy) or onion powder or salt.
• Choose to add in crumbled crispy bacon as well or in place of the ham.
• Change up the cheese by adding Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese or your favorite good-melting cheese.
• You can also make these potato cakes meatless.

Just look at that cheesy-potato-ham deliciousness! 

Can I freeze potato cakes?

• Yes, after you have formed them you can freeze them for later cooking.
• First freeze cakes on a baking sheet as to not “squish them in a bag (like you would raw cookies), then place when frozen in a freezer bag. Just get as much air out of your freezer bag as you can for optimum freshness.

Can I air fry these?

Yes! I tested air frying this out just to see and it worked fine. The top and bottom were not as browned as traditional pan frying however they did crisp up and were a bit fluffier. I have a Ninja Foodie Deluxe and set it at 390 degrees for 7 minutes (for 4 smaller, meatball sized cakes).

What can I make with leftover ham?

There are so many things you can do with leftover ham. Everything from a simple to a “Dagwood-style” sandwich, to my favorite simple ham, cheese, bacon & onion omelet. Use leftover ham in scones, savory muffins, quiche, on pizza, or in any of the below recipe favorites of mine. The choices are almost endless! I even use it to make Ham & Cheese Hash Brown Waffles in my waffle maker!

Another family favorite are these Leftover Ham and Cheese Biscuits made with Hatfield Ham (you want these in your life!!).

This easy Ham & Cheese Hash Brown Bake makes for a great breakfast.

Now you may think this Cuban Sandwich Mac and Cheese is “out there” but trust me!! You will fall in love! THIS is my favorite way outside of an omelet to use up leftover ham!

I have a number of recipes using ham on my site, scroll down to the “search” bar on the right side of this page and search “ham” for all sorts of inspiration.

Let me know what you make with your leftover ham!! XO – Colleen

Colleen Kennedy is the author of 3 cookbooks and has appeared on QVC and other shows inspiring home cooks of all levels. She has a popular TikTok channel @ColleensCooking with hundreds of short recipe videos. Colleen lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and kids, she started the food blog, Soufflé Bombay in 2009. Read more about her here.