Appetizers / Snacks
Cheese Crisps (Frico)
Snacking doesn’t have to be a diet-derailing no-no. In fact, it’s a great way to keep your metabolism up between meals. The key is to choose low-calorie, fiber-packed snacks that keep you fuller longer and curb overeating at meals.
Based on a lacy Italian wafer called frico [FREE-koh], these salty snacks can be modified with other cheeses and spice mixtures. Aged, hard cheeses work bestSpicy crisps mean you’ll be sated by just a few. But the potato flakes “stretch” or bulk the mixture so each one has fewer calories and you can eat several.
Ingredients
Recipe Variation
Substitute 1½ cups finely shredded aged Cheddar for Parmesan and 1 Tbsp. saltfree Southwest seasoning for other spices.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stir together Parmesan, potatoes, Italian herbs, pepper flakes, and granulated garlic.
Scoop 1 Tbsp. mixture onto prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart, then spread into 3-inch circles.
Bake mixture until cheese melts and is golden, 7–9 minutes. Slide parchment onto a cooling rack. Let crisps cool 2–3 minutes.
Slide a mini offset spatula or knife under each crisp to loosen. Repeat scooping, spreading, and baking in batches until all remaining cheese mixture is gone. Store crisps in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Spread the cheese mixture with your fingers into a flat circle so the crisps get as crispy as possible.
The crisps are delicate, so take care when removing them from the parchment paper.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per crisp
Calories: 36
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Cholesterol 7mg 2%
Sodium 108mg 4%
Carbs 1g 0%
Protein 3g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.