sighting sarah recipe

Frika

Do you absolutely love cheese and potatoes? This is the dish that will bring the greatest pleasure. The crunch of the crust, the creamy potato and salty cheese make frika one of the most amazing potato dishes I’ve experienced. We ate it in a few places when visiting Tolmin, but we were most impressed with it at Restaurant Labrica which is right next to the Soča river.

The story is that during WW1 the monks and priests didn’t have many food options, but they had potatoes and they had cheese so they created Frika. Italians from Frico Italy had a fried cheese dish which inspired the Slovenian potato and cheese hash.

Traditionally the aged for 60 days tolmic cheese is used, but at Labrca they use both young and aged cheese to create contrast. They also do something a bit different, they render the fat from the cheese to cook the potato used in Frika.

Recipe:

  • 400 g peeled yellow potatoes
  • 400g grated medium strength aged cheese plus 100g for rendering the fat.
  • 200 g grated medium strength fresh cheese

Slice the potatoes very thin, add them and the shredded cheese layered into a baking dish with the rendered the fat of the cheese. Create a few layers and then bake till the cheese is melted and the outside of the potato is golden. Add a bit more cheese on top. Serve with polenta, or a fresh salad.