In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes, then add the ham, scallions, mustard, dill, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
1½ cups sweet potatoes, 1 cup cooked ham, 3 scallions, 1 tablespoon Creole mustard, ½ teaspoon dried dill, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Add the egg and the ½ cup of panko, then mix until well-combined.
1 large egg, 1¼ cups panko bread crumbs
Scoop out about a ¼ cup of the sweet potato mixture, shape it into a ball, flatten into a patty, and transfer to a baking sheet. If the mixture won’t hold together, return it to the bowl and add more panko, then try again.
Repeat with remaining mixture. You should end up with 8 patties.
Place the baking sheet in freezer for about 20 minutes.
Spread out the remaining panko on a small plate. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer, then press both sides of each patty into the panko.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering, then use a flat spatula to place 2 or 3 patties in the skillet.
½ cup olive oil
Pan-fry the patties until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes.
Flip and cook until each patty is golden brown on the other side and heated through, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Repeat with the remaining patties.