Loaded Potato Cakes

1. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil and sliced bacon over medium heat. Cook the bacon bits until completely crisp, approximately 5 minutes. Place the cooked bacon pieces on a paper towel to drain. Remove excess oil from the pan, leaving 2 teaspoons of oil for frying the potato cakes, reserving the excess.
2. While the bacon cooks, combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. The mixture should be thick but not stiff. Once cooked and drained, add the bacon pieces. Stir to combine.
3. Put scoops of the batter into the reserved grease in the skillet over medium heat. As you place the batter into the oil, carefully level the top of the mounds. You want each potato cake to be about half an inch thick.
4. Cook on the first side until it’s a deep golden brown. This should take 3 minutes. If the cakes are browning too fast, you need to reduce the heat. When brown and crisp, flip to the other side and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
5. Repeat with for the remaining batter. Depending on the size of your skillet, this may take 1 to 2 additional batches as you do not want to crowd the pan. If you need to add additional oil to the pan between batches, simply add the reserved bacon drippings.
6. Enjoy the potato cakes as a side with dinner, during breakfast with eggs, or as an appetizer with a nice glass of wine and chive sour cream.