Potato and Cheese Cake Frico Caldo

A simple and delicious appetizer brought to you by chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson. Chef Lachlan specializes in cuisine from the northeastern corner of Italy, the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. This region has little interest in meatballs and marinara. Due to Friuli Venezia Giulia's location, one finds many interesting culinary influences. For example I was surprised to learn that cumin and Cinnamon are common ingredients. So what is this town best known for? Prosciotto de San Danielle, the local cured ham.

So today I present Chef Lachlan's Frico Caldo, otherwise known as potato and cheese cake. Its a classic treat from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a location I never heard of prior to this post, but now hope to visit.

• 1 large baking potato
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion diced small
• 1/4 cup grated cheese Asiago, Montasia or even Romano works, whatever you chose it will be delicious
• Grated nutmeg to taste
• s and p olive oil
• 4 slices of prosciutto

Cilantro Vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon minced shallot

red wine or sherry vinegar to taste

S and P

Start off by boiling the potato till tender. When the potato is cool enough to handle, remove the skin. Use your fingers and crumble the potato into small pieces, place crumbled potato in small bowl. Heat a 6 or 8 inch non stick skillet. Melt butter, add onions. Saute onions till lightly golden. Remove cooked onions from heat and gently mix with crumbled potato. Add cheese, nutmeg and S and P to taste, mix together. Now wipe out pan that you used to cook onions.Heat up a little olive oil in pan. Add potato mixture, flatten out with back of spatula. Cook for about 4 minutes till golden. Place a small plate on top, flip potato cake over, gently sliding uncooked side back into pan for another 4 minutes. (you may have to add a little more olive oil). While the second side of the potato cake is cooking, mix cilantro vinegar ingredients together. When you peek underneath and the potato mixture appears golden slide onto plate (it will be somewhat crumbly). Top with small pieces of prosciutto and lightly drizzle with cilantro vinegar. Or you can do what I did the first few times I made this, skip the vinegar all together, top with the prosciutto and chow.