If you know, you know. Lidia’s has been the place to go for a romantic atmosphere and Italian food in Kansas City for decades. Brought to fruition by New York restaurateur Lidia Bastianich, the spot is now co-owned by Bastianich and her daughter, Tanya. The iconic Crossroads location, a former railroad house, is filled with signature glass-blown chandeliers and handmade pasta. While most diners are familiar with Lidia’s pasta-tasting trio, a daily rotating chef’s choice sampling, we’re celebrating the anniversary with a look at a recipe so beloved that it’s never left the menu once in the past 25 years—the Montasio cheese frico.
Makes six servings as an appetizer
Ingredients:
1 medium baking potato, ½ pound
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, sliced (½ cup)
½ cup thinly sliced scallions
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ pound Montasio cheese, shredded
Recipe:
Cook the potato in a pan of gently boiling water until it is easily pierced with a sharp knife all the way through—but still intact and not mushy. Drain and cool the potato, remove the skin, and slice it into neat ¼-inch thick rounds.
Pour the olive oil into the skillet, set over medium heat, and scatter in the sliced onion and scallions. Cook for a minute, then scatter the potato rounds in the pan. Toss and tumble the potatoes with the onion and scallions and season with the salt and grinds of black pepper. Cook for about five minutes, tossing frequently, until the potato rounds are lightly crisped and golden.
Pile the shredded Montasio on top of the vegetables. Slide a metal spatula under some of the potatoes and flip them over, incorporating some of the cheese. Turn all the slices over and over this way, until the cheese shreds are well distributed. With the spatula, clean the sides of the skillet and smooth the vegetables and cheese into a neat pancake-like disk, filling the pan bottom.
Lower the heat and let the frico cook undisturbed as the cheese melts and crisps until the bottom is very brown and nicely crusted, about five minutes. Shake the pan to loosen the disk, put a large plate on top and invert, dropping the frico onto the plate, then slide it back in the skillet—top side down.
Cook until the second side is crisp and brown, about five minutes more. Slide (or invert) the frico onto the plate and blot up excess oil from the cheese with a paper towel. Slice into six wedges and serve immediately.