fried cheese

Not so much a recipe as some instructions on how to eat big slabs of fried cheese…

Goldstreet dairy is around the corner from us but still I hadn’t had the chance to go try some of their cheese. We were at wildflower brewery picking up some things and at the bottom of the fridge I spied some of the golden slabs of their jersey cheese. This is exactly what I had been wanting to experiment with and was so excited to get some. It retails for $16 for 250g which sounds steep but after trying it, seeing the quality and being able to make two solid entrees for two out of it, I think it is absolutely justified. 

I followed the instructions on their website on how best to grill up the cheese, making sure to get all sides to build up a casing (like a steak!). As they said themselves; this is good cheese so use good olive oil. Don’t be shy either. There isn’t any point feeling health conscious about how much oil you are using when you are eating fried pieces of cheese. 

My first go was using olive oil in a cast iron pan to fry the cheese. Unlike a steak I turned the cheese almost methodically every 30 seconds, watching as it built up a dark brown skin. Just before the final turn I basted it with a tablespoon of oil, a grated garlic clove and a good squeeze of honey and let it cook on each side just once so it wouldn’t burn the baste off. 

After resting it on the paper towel briefly it was onto the plate (or rather a shallow bowl) and doused in olive oil and another drizzle of honey. I topped it off with some pickled chilli, a fantastic homemade condiment courtesy of Carter’s substack. Sweet, a hint of pickle and heat from the chilli and glorious fat. Yum! 

My second batch I cooked slightly fatter pieces which required a little more finesse in terms of frying each side. You will have to use tongs to hold the cheese steady if they are falling over when frying the thinner sides. I skipped basting this time around. After patting it dry I plated it a little broad bean salad with mint, lemon and capers. It was a more fresh way to enjoy the jersey cheese with lots of lemony spring greens. I would happily add the pickled chilli here again too next time to bring a bit of heat to it. 

Next time I plan on making it a bit more of a meal with some hunks of bread, a mustardy green salad and a glass of something white. I feel like the fatty, creaminess could go really nicely with a zippy chardonnay that still has lots of citrus flavour in there. Maybe this? 

I hope you can try this stuff, it is definitely worth it.