"Frico is Friuli," says chef and owner of Frasca Food and Wine Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson. The ten year old Boulder restaurant draws its inspiration from that Northern region of Italy. "The Caldo is made with young Montasio cheese or Croccante is made with older Montasio. It is served all over the region of Friuli in many shapes and sizes.
At Frasca, that shape and size is a large square cut into four perfect triangles. To make this outrageous cheese potato pancake that was once considered peasant food, the chefs at Frasca gently boil Yukon Gold potatoes then crush them into small pieces. They are combined with sautéed onions, Montasio cheese, salt, and nutmeg and then cooked in a square pan on the stove top. Once the first side cooked to a deep golden brown, the Frico is flipped. As late as three years ago, seven years into the restaurant's life, Frasca served its Frico Caldo with a cilantro vinaigrette. In what seems like an attempt to return it to a more traditional form, the kitchen now tops it with a coarse parsley dressing and pomegranate seeds.
"We have loved the Frico since our first bite 12 years ago," shares Mackinnon-Patterson. "It's been a menu staple since day one at Frasca."