Papa a la Huancaína

Papa a la Huancaína

A classic Peruvian starter from the Huancayo region: sliced boiled potatoes smothered in a silky, sunny-yellow sauce of ají amarillo, fresh cheese and crackers, garnished with hard-boiled egg and black olives.

Prep

20 min

Cook

25 min

Total

45 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •800 g (1¾ lb) yellow potatoes (papa amarilla), traditionally Peruvian yellow potatoes; Yukon Gold is the closest substitute
• •3 whole aji amarillo chillies, fresh, seeds and veins removed; or substitute 2 tbsp ají amarillo paste
• •200 g (7 oz) fresh white cheese (queso fresco), a mild, salty fresh cheese such as ricotta salata or firm farmer's cheese; queso fresco works best
• •4 whole salted crackers (galletas de soda), soda or saltine crackers, for body and thickening
• •120 ml (½ cup) evaporated milk, traditionally evaporated milk gives the sauce its silky body; whole milk can be used
• •2 tbsp vegetable oil
• •1 small red onion, finely chopped
• •1 clove garlic
• •1 tsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
• •1 pinch salt, to taste
• •2 whole large eggs, for hard-boiling; cook to a firm yolk
• •8 whole pitted black olives, for garnish
• •4 leaves lettuce leaves, as a bed; iceberg or romaine

Steps

1. 1 Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover, remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes. Transfer to cold water, peel, and set aside. Cook until the yolks are fully firm with no runny centre.
2. 2 Wash the potatoes, place them in a large pot, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Simmer 20-25 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Drain and let cool just enough to handle, then peel and cut into ½ cm (¼ inch) thick slices.
3. 3 If using fresh ají amarillo: simmer the seeded chillies in a small pot of water for 5 minutes to soften, then drain. If using paste, skip this step.
4. 4 Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent but not browned. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
5. 5 In a blender, combine the ají amarillo (fresh or paste), sautéed onion and garlic, fresh cheese, crackers, evaporated milk, lime juice and a pinch of salt. Blend until completely smooth, adding a splash more milk if needed; the sauce should be silky and coat the back of a spoon.
6. 6 Taste and adjust salt and lime. The sauce should be gently spicy, salty and creamy.
7. 7 Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter or individual plates and layer the warm potato slices over them.
8. 8 Pour the huancaína sauce generously over the potatoes, spreading to cover.
9. 9 Cut the hard-boiled eggs into quarters or halves and place on top of the sauced potatoes along with the black olives.
10. 10 Serve immediately, while the potatoes are still warm and the sauce is at room temperature.