Tortitas de Papa con Queso y Jamon (Potato Patties with Ham and Cheese) are just like the original potato patties with cheese or potato cakes with cheese just add some really good dice or cubed ham to it!

This is great for dinner, especially for kids!
This was inspired by my original post of Tortitas de Papa con Queso. Because of how good those are I diced that adding ham would really kick these up a notch!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- yellow potatoes
- cheese of choice – Chihuahua, mozzarella, manchego, fresco, or panela (see notes)
- bread crumbs, plain unseasoned
- 1 egg
- ham off the bone
- garlic powder
- salt
- ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Start by washing the potatoes and adding them to a pot and fill with water, enough to cover the potatoes.
Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, and cook until the potatoes are fork tender (times may vary depending on the size of your potatoes).
Once your potatoes have finished cooking, remove them from the water and let them cool just long enough to handle.
Peel off the skin and place them in a bowl.
Mash the potatoes until there are no large clumps.
To your mashed potatoes add the cheese, bread crumbs, egg, ham, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix really well.
Using a ⅓ measuring cup, scoop some of the potato mix and with your hand form a ball, lightly pat the ball between both hands until a disc is formed. The patty should be about 3 inches in diameter and about ¾ inches thick. Or to your liking.
To a skillet add some vegetable oil or any neutral oil, enough so that it’s ¼ of an inch deep.
Test the oil by adding a small little piece of the potato mix. If it bubbles it’s ready.
Once the oil is ready, add your patties to the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan, add about 3-4 at a time, depending on the size of your pan.
Cook for about 2-3 minutes on one side and flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on the other side.
Remove from the oil and set aside on a plate with a paper towel to absorb any oil from the patty.
Repeat until all your potato patties are cooked.
Serve with a side salad and some corn tortillas.
Enjoy!
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container or zip bag.
Tips, Notes, & Substitutions
When flipping the patties I like to use 2 spatulas or 1 spatula and a fork so that it doesn’t splash oil everywhere because the patty is still very soft and could fall apart in the process. I use one to hold the patty underneath and the other to hold at the top and flip. I keep my heat about medium-low.
Types of Cheese
Chihuahua and mozzarella cheese will make the potato patties softer and will crumble a little more in the oil, but are delicious and my fave of all the cheeses, but queso fresco or panela is the cheese most people use when making these potato patties.
Types of Ham
For the ham, I prefer ham of the bone because it’s neutral goes well with anything, but you can also do a black forest ham or smoked ham. Honey ham or other sweeter hams would be fine too just remember the tortitas will also end up on the sweeter side.
Tortitas de Papa con Queso y Jamón (Potato Patties with Ham and Cheese) Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Tortitas de Papa con Queso (Potato Patties with Ham and Cheese) y Jamon are just like the original potato patties with cheese or potato cakes with cheese just add some really good dice or cubed ham to it!
Ingredients
2 pounds of yellow potatoes (4 cups mashed)
1 cup of cheese of choice – Chihuahua, mozzarella, manchego, fresco, or panela (see notes)
½ cup bread crumbs, plain unseasoned
1 egg
½ pound ham off the bone, sliced thick, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Start by washing the potatoes and adding them to a pot and fill with water, enough to cover the potatoes.
Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, and cook until the potatoes are fork tender (times may vary depending on the size of your potatoes).
Once your potatoes have finished cooking, remove them from the water and let them cool just long enough to handle.
Peel off the skin and place them in a bowl.
Mash the potatoes until there are no large clumps.
To your mashed potatoes add the cheese, bread crumbs, egg, ham, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix really well.
Using a ⅓ measuring cup, scoop some of the potato mix and with your hand form a ball, lightly pat the ball between both hands until a disc is formed. The patty should be about 3 inches in diameter and about ¾ inches thick. Or to your liking.
To a skillet add some vegetable oil or any neutral oil, enough so that it’s ¼ of an inch deep.
Test the oil by adding a small little piece of the potato mix. If it bubbles it’s ready.
Once the oil is ready, add your patties to the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan, add about 3-4 at a time, depending on the size of your pan.
Cook for about 2-3 minutes on one side and flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on the other side.
Remove from the oil and set aside on a plate with a paper towel to absorb any oil from the patty.
Repeat until all your potato patties are cooked.
Serve with a side salad and some corn tortillas.
Enjoy!
Notes
When flipping the patties I like to use 2 spatulas or 1 spatula and a fork so that it doesn’t splash oil everywhere because the patty is still very soft and could fall apart in the process. I use one to hold the patty underneath and the other to hold at the top and flip. I keep my heat about medium-low.
Chihuahua and mozzarella cheese will make the potato patties softer and will crumble a little more in the oil, but are delicious and my fave of all the cheeses, but queso fresco or panela is the cheese most people use when making these potato patties.
For the ham, I prefer ham of the bone because it’s neutral goes well with anything, but you can also do a black forest ham or smoked ham. Honey ham or other sweeter hams would be fine too just remember the tortitas will also end up on the sweeter side.
Keywords: tortitas de papa con queso y jamon, potato patties with ham and cheese, tortas de papa, torrejas
Leave a comment