Cheesy Potato Pancakes (Frico Friulano)
Peak Italian comfort food.
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Recipe by Loren Larsen
With this recipe for Frico Friulano, you get transported to the northeastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia! This recipe relies on a few handfuls of ingredients and the magic of a skillet to make a cheesy and crispy dish that will rival any of your favorite potato recipes out there.
This is simple for a reason. It is a part of Italy’s cucina povera, or poverty cuisine, which maximizes the taste and texture of a Spartan lot of ingredients. Here, potatoes, onions, and cheese come together to make a crispy, sliceable fritter. Its main star is a special regional cheese called Montasio. Originally made by monks at the foothill basin of the Alps, this cheese is aged for 60 days and has grassy notes with an aromatic bouquet and a bit of fruity notes.
While there are specialty stores that offer this cheese, if you can’t find it, don’t fret! You can substitute with Asiago, Fontina, or young Pecorino Romano cheeses.
Everything comes together in one pan; the key is keeping an eye on every step. Making sure the onions and potatoes crisp up without sticking is key to getting a crispy frico that stays together. After the potatoes and onions cook together, the cheese gets added into the skillet, and then it does magic to create a crispy golden side. Transferring the frico onto a plate and sliding it back into the skillet means that there’s no flipping and no broken frico.
When sliced, this Frico Friulano is ready to serve!
This is quite similar to a potato pancake, but made even crispier and better with cheese. The Montasio is wonderful and flavorful, coating every inch of the onions and potatoes. With only salt and pepper, the cheese’s flavors and the sweetness of the onions are on full display.
It can be served in a variety of ways. Sour cream, fresh herbs, and even fried eggs are great companions, but it is honestly so good that it tastes amazing just as it is!
Cheesy Potato Pancakes (Frico Friulano)
Yield(s): Serves about 4 to 6
15m prep time
25m cook time
Allergens: Milk
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small to medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound (about 1 medium to medium-large) potatoes, peeled and grated
- 1/2 pound grated Montasio cheese, you can also use Asiago, Fontina, or young Pecorino Romano cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Bacon, eggs, cheese, and scallions, for garnish
Preparation
- In a skillet, heat up olive oil over medium-high heat. Scatter the sliced onions evenly into a thin flat layer in the skillet, cooking for 1 minute.
- Add the grated potatoes into the pan and mix the onions and potatoes together in the skillet, tossing to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make sure that none of the potatoes or onions are sticking to the bottom of the pan, cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes and onions are lightly golden and crispy.
- Add in the shredded cheese, tossing to combine and evenly distribute the cheese throughout the potato-onion mixture.
- Making sure that nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pan, press the cheese-potato-onion mixture into a flat even layer on the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low and let it cook for 5 minutes undisturbed or until the edges and bottom are golden and crisped up and the cheese is melty.
- Shake the pan to loosen the cheese-potato-onion mixture. Place a large plate over the top of the skillet and using thick dish towels or potholders flip the skillet, transferring the frico onto the plate. Transfer the frico back into the skillet with the already golden and crispy side facing up.
- Cook until the second side is crispy, another 5 minutes. Transfer the frico onto a plate and cut into 4 to 6 slices. Serve immediately, enjoy!