Friuli-Venezia Giulia · Tolmezzo (Carnia)

Frico con patate

Name: Frico con patate
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian (Friuli-Venezia Giulia)
Ingredients: 500 g yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced or coarsely grated; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 500 g Montasio PDO, grated (a mix of young, medium and aged); 40 g butter (traditional — or the same amount of olive oil); salt and pepper (to taste)

Friulian potato and Montasio cheese cake

Potatoes, onion and Montasio cheese fried slowly into a golden cake, crisp outside and soft inside.

Documented traditionSources checked · October 2026

Course: Secondo piattoMain course
Serves: 4
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 40 min

La provenienza

Where this recipe comes from

Frico was the food of the Carnic mountains, a poor and filling dish that used up what cheese there was. It is on Friuli's list of traditional food products, and today it is made with Montasio, a PDO cheese of Friuli and eastern Veneto, mixing young, medium and aged wheels.

There are two versions: this soft one with potatoes, and a crisp one made with cheese alone, often served with cured meats. There is no official recipe; the quantities here are those Friulian sources agree on.

Provenance: Documented traditionA regional tradition documented in cookbooks and local practice, with no single official text.
Defined by: Friulian tradition
Reference: Made with Montasio PDO
Sources: Scatti di Gusto — frico, the traditional Friulian dish and its original recipe (Italian)
Dissapore — frico with potatoes and onions, the traditional Friulian recipe (Italian)

Tolmezzo (Carnia), Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Ingredienti

Ingredients

4 servings

500 g yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced or coarsely grated
1 onion, thinly sliced
500 g Montasio PDO, grated a mix of young, medium and aged
40 g butter traditional — or the same amount of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparazione

Method

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Errori comuni

Common mistakes

Turning it too early — wait until the crust releases from the pan by itself.
Skipping the draining: Montasio releases a lot of fat as it cooks.

Fuori dall'Italia

Cooking it outside Italy

No Montasio? Mix a young Asiago with a little aged Parmigiano Reggiano.

Where this recipe comes from

Ingredients

Method

Common mistakes

Cooking it outside Italy

More secondimain courses from other regions