Wednesday, January 27, 2010

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.

22 comments:

  1. This sounds so diving and worthy of a great cup of tea while eating it! I can so visualize eating it!

    I have seen some 'potato' pizzas out there, and this might simply be the best so far!

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  2. That prosciutto on top is like icing on a cake! MMMM!

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  3. awesome appetizer, perfect for any party!

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  4. An Italian latke! I m definitely making this. Potatoes....prosciutto... cheese....happiness.

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  5. First I thought it was going to be Potatoes O'Brien, which I love.
    But it's actually kind of a potato pizza!
    YUMMY.

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  6. Cheese, potatoes, and prosciutto! Doesn't get much better!

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  7. Just found your blog and see some noshes I definitely want to try.

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  8. Great appetiser and makes a really good party finger food!

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  9. This is great - and I happen to have all the ingredients (well, except the cilantro) in house right now. Two friends are on their way over, and I'm going to make it.

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  10. Such a lovely appetizer! And seems to be easy to make too.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  11. I think that this might be the best way (ever!) to eat a potato! I love all the flavors in it!

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  12. Yum! Hard to resist prosciutto! :)

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  13. Damn, that looks good. I have to print this recipe too! Wouldn't this be wonderful with a glass of wine and some olives?

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  14. Oh wow, oh wow! This looks incredible, and I really, really really NEED to re-create that potato-and-cheese cake somehow. I can't procure prosciutto because I'm a cheap Asian, but potato I have plenty! :-)

    Or, I can just invite myself over to your place. And we can have tea and that lovely dish and talk about how Sandra Lee is a sore eye to foodies! Haha!

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  15. I make something similar and I put smoked salmon on top. I can imagine how good this is based on how good the one I made is.

    I want to try yours with the potatoes smashed rather than mashed.

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  16. looks great love Italian food, heres your slice of bread, I'l put the kettle on!

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  17. wow this looks great. My kind of food for sure. A slice of this with some cured black olives and greens on the side, heaven!

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  18. Oh my. This sounds very delicious indeed!

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  19. Thank you for your visit.Love this recipe; so simple and anything topped with proscutto has to be famtastcic.
    Rita

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  20. This recipe comes just in time. I had been cooking lately with great results from the SAVEUR Book, Authentic Italian where cooks from different parts of Italy showcase their talents.
    Now you have me googling Friuli-Venezia Giulia region to find out more about their cuisine.

    Now potato and prosciutto sounds mouth watering.

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  21. Potatoes are a treat in any form but this one looks super special.

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