Fried Cheese (Vyprážaný syr)
Ingredients: cheese, egg, flour, bread crumbs, potato, oil, salt, tomato, cucumber, canned pears
Prep time: 20 minutes
If you are looking for something heart-healthy, move on and skip this recipe. Otherwise, let’s fry some cheese! Fried cheese is quite popular. You will likely find this dish offered in most restaurants. Street food vendors also often sell fried cheese sandwiches. These are especially popular in Prague, on the Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí). They are kind of like a hamburger, but instead of a beef patty, you get a slice of fried cheese. Just a note of warning. You will be dealing with hot oil and sticky cheese. This could be a bad combination, so be careful when flipping the cheese so you don’t get hurt.
Potatoes take longer, so start by making french fries (hranolky). Peel potatoes, cut them into slices, and fry in salted oil.
Next, heat oil in another frying pan, and then prepare the cheese. My local supermarket had a mysterious shortage of block cheese today, and so I used pre-sliced Provolone. But normally you would want to take the cheese (Provolone and Muenster work well), and cut it into half-inch thick slices. Sidenote: as commented below, Edam is the cheese used in Slovakia
Arrange three bowls in a row. Put flour in the first, well-mixed egg in the second, and plain bread crumbs in the third. Coat the cheese slice in flour, …
… in egg, …
… and in bread crumbs. Fry, carefully flipping once the cheese starts melting (about two minutes). I use two spatulas to flip the cheese. Fry the second half for a shorter time, not even a minute.
Garnish with tomato and cucumber. Serve with tartar sauce. Sliced canned pears go well with this dish. Enjoy!
I wanted to thank my roommate Omar for helping out with the french fries. He is on his way to be a great cook!
Boze tak by som si dala! mnam!!!
Fried cheese forever!
EDAM CHEESE SHOULD BE THE CHEESE YOU USE IN SLOVAKIA.. IT’S IN EVERY STORE HERE IN THE U.S…..OTHERWISE,YES,IT’S GREAT..
Thanks Kip! Yeah, I wasn’t sure which cheese works the best. I have tried this dish with a variety of cheeses, and I have concluded that frying makes anything taste great…
what kind of supermarket doesnt have block cheese? maybe you can go to the deli and ask them to give you 1/2″ slices.
I just wanted to say that I love this site.
Greetings from Tim.
I love this recipe, my husband said” there is a special sauce that goes with this dish & it is not TARTAR SAUCE. He said he had it when he when to restaurant in Slovak. He said it made the dish really taste awesome. Do you know how to make this sauce, or maybe you can ask your mother. I really would aspirate it
Thank you a fan your web site
Karen, it actually is tartar sauce – but not the American kind. Check the About page for the Slovak tartar sauce recipes: Miro’s recipes and Gabriela’s recipe.
Cheese…
LOok for LOW FAT EDAM cheese, usually 20-30% of fat. As better as lower.
The reason is not the health. Just simply, low fat edam cheese doesn’t melt so quickly.
Never, but really NEVER, go under 45% (in worst case 40%). Yes, it is a bit more tricky, but it is worth it. Use a small pan (only a little bigger than the slice of the cheese), fill with 2-3 cm of sunflower oil (no, oil made of extra virgins
does not work well here) and let it heat up properly. Provided that the temperature is high enough, the bread crumbs quickly create sort of crust around the cheese, so the cheese will not “run-away”. Just make sure the oil covers also the top of the cheese.