Frika: Slovenian Potato and Cheese Hash with Crisp Golden Edges
By Emma Collins
Serve Frika warm for a simple lunch or dinner with seasonal salad. This Slovenian potato and cheese hash pairs crisp, golden edges with a soft, melted-cheese center, using grated potatoes, Tolminc cheese, pancetta or olive oil, and fresh herbs.
Potatoes suited to baking are peeled, grated, rinsed repeatedly in cold water to remove starch, and drained. Pancetta supplies the first pan fat, though olive oil or lard can stand in; the recipe then folds grated semi-hard and hard Tolminc cheeses into the softened potatoes. Parsley, oregano, and lovage are the listed herb choices, bringing freshness to the rich cheese.
Keep the potatoes moving over medium heat during their 15-to-18-minute cook so they soften without catching in one spot. The useful cue is a thickening mixture once the first cheese melts; then shake the pan occasionally after adding the remaining cheese. Fast browning is the common problem, and the recipe directs adding a tablespoon of water if the potatoes color too quickly.
Cut the finished Frika into warm slices and serve it with a seasonal salad, as suggested. It serves two as a main dish or four as an appetizer. The source recommends eating it as soon as possible rather than storing it, so plan to bring it straight from pan to table.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Feeds two for lunch or dinner, or four as an appetizer, because the finished hash is cut into slices that share easily beside seasonal salad.
- Works for a weeknight table because grated potatoes and a single 22cm pan carry the cooking, without a separate sauce or oven step.
- Gives vegetarian diners an option when olive oil replaces pancetta, while the two grated cheeses still create the recipe’s characteristic melted interior.
- Pleases crisp-edge fans because flipping the evenly spread hash cooks both sides until golden, while the center remains soft from melted cheese.
- Lets breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner use the same recipe, since the source specifically presents Frika for each of those occasions.
- Suits immediate family meals because it is best served warm straight from the pan, avoiding the compromise of leftovers the source does not recommend.
Ingredients
- •400 g potatoes
- •50 g pancetta (cut into cubes; or use olive oil or lard)
- •1 tbsp olive oil (or use instead of pancetta; optionally add 1 tsp with pancetta)
- •1 tbsp lard (or use instead of pancetta)
- •160 g semi-hard Tolminc cheese
- •50 g hard Tolminc cheese
- •2 tbsp fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, and lovage)
- •1 tbsp water (if the potatoes brown too quickly; cold water is also used for rinsing)
Instructions
- 1
Peel the potatoes and grate them.
- 2
Pour cold water into a large bowl, add the grated potatoes, and rinse thoroughly.
- 3
Drain the potatoes, then repeat the rinsing process two or three times until the water is clean.
- 4
Cut the pancetta into small cubes.
- 5
Grate both cheeses and stir them together in a bowl.
- 6
Add the pancetta to a 22cm (9-inch) pan, optionally add a teaspoon of oil, and pan-fry over medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes. Use oil or lard instead of pancetta if preferred.
- 7
Add the drained potatoes and arrange them all over the pan.
- 8
Cook over medium heat for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring continuously, until the potatoes are soft. Add a tablespoon of water if the potatoes brown too quickly.
- 9
Add half the cheese and stir it into the Frika with a spatula. Cook for 1 minute until the cheese starts to melt and the mixture starts to thicken.
- 10
Add the remaining cheese and herbs, stir well, and shake the pan from time to time.
- 11
Spread the Frika evenly over the pan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- 12
Transfer the Frika to a plate and flip it back into the pan. Cook the other side for 5 minutes, until golden and crispy outside.
- 13
Serve warm, cut into slices, and optionally sprinkle with fresh herbs.
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