Frico (Alpine cheese and potato cake)

Frico (Alpine cheese and potato cake)

Four ingredients are all it takes to create frico, this simple yet irresistibly flavoursome potato dish from one of Italy’s more obscure regions, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The result is a soft, oozy, indulgent savoury cake that’s sort of like a very cheesy hash brown. Perfect with a glass of wine and a few friends to help you polish it off.

Frico (Alpine cheese and potato cake)

This region exemplifies just how varied Italian food is. Here on the mountainous border with Austria and Slovenia, the local cuisine is hearty, with stews, pastries, polenta and dumplings more common than pasta and pizza. But there are plenty of Mediterranean flavours too, from the fish caught off the Adriatic coast to prosciutto di san daniele, an air-dried ham that’s sweeter than parma ham. Read all about the food of Friuli-Venezia Giulia with our delicious. guide.

  • Serves icon Serves 2-4
  • Time icon Hands-on time 35 min

Four ingredients are all it takes to create frico, this simple yet irresistibly flavoursome potato dish from one of Italy’s more obscure regions, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The result is a soft, oozy, indulgent savoury cake that’s sort of like a very cheesy hash brown. Perfect with a glass of wine and a few friends to help you polish it off.

This region exemplifies just how varied Italian food is. Here on the mountainous border with Austria and Slovenia, the local cuisine is hearty, with stews, pastries, polenta and dumplings more common than pasta and pizza. But there are plenty of Mediterranean flavours too, from the fish caught off the Adriatic coast to prosciutto di san daniele, an air-dried ham that’s sweeter than parma ham. Read all about the food of Friuli-Venezia Giulia with our delicious. guide.

Nutrition: Per serving (for 4)

Calories
411kcals
Fat
27g (14g saturated)
Protein
19g
Carbohydrates
21g (1.9g sugars)
Fibre
2.6g
Salt
1.1g

Before you start

If you don’t have a mandoline, you can coarsely grate the potato instead. Be patient and cook the onions and potatoes down slowly – you want a deeply caramelised mixture rather than any burnt bits.

Before you start

If you don’t have a mandoline, you can coarsely grate the potato instead. Be patient and cook the onions and potatoes down slowly – you want a deeply caramelised mixture rather than any burnt bits.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 large potatoes (around 500g), peeled and finely sliced to 1.5mm thick on a mandoline
  • 250g montasio cheese, coarsely grated (see Know-how)

Specialist kit

  • Mandoline
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Method

  1. Pour the oil into a medium non-stick frying pan over a low-medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 7 minutes
    until soft. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring regularly, for 20-25 minutes. Don’t worry if they break up; the aim is for them to be tender and nicely caramelised all over.
  2. Season the mixture with a little more salt and lots of black pepper, then add the cheese, stirring it into the mixture a third at a time. Once it’s all combined, use a spatula to pack it down tightly and smooth the surface, then turn up the heat to medium-high and cook, undisturbed, for 4-5 minutes to create a deep, golden cheesy crust on the base. You can remove some of the oil rising to the top by blotting with kitchen paper.
  3. Put a board over the pan and, in a swift and confident single motion, flip both  the pan and board upside-down. Carefully slide the frico from the board, back into the pan to crisp up the other side. Don’t worry if it falls apart slightly; the cheese will act as a delicious glue and stick everything together as it finishes cooking.
  4. Tip the crisp frico out onto a serving board and leave to cool for a few minutes (this will help it solidify and firm up a little) before slicing. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
411kcals
Fat
27g (14g saturated)
Protein
19g
Carbohydrates
21g (1.9g sugars)
Fibre
2.6g
Salt
1.1g

delicious. tips

  1. Montasio cheese is from the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and the
    key component of the recipe. It’s available from Italian delis or online. A cow’s milk cheese, it has a mild Alpine flavour with excellent melting properties. You could substitute it with 200g young gruyère or emmental, along with 50g pecorino, although a Friulian might justifiably take issue with this!

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Pollyanna Coupland
Food producer, delicious.

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