Papa a la huancaina

Serves: 4

If they like it, it serves 4 otherwise

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Totaltime: 1 hour 0 minutes

This traditional Peruvian potato dish is a cheese lover’s dream. Papa a la Huancaína (literally translated as Huancayo-style potatoes) consists of boiled potatoes smothered in a spicy, creamy sauce. This unique topping is made by pounding fresh white cheese, yellow Peruvian peppers, red onion and garlic together until thick and smooth.

Ingredients

4 medium yukon gold potatoes - peeled if desired and sliced ½" thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
several grinds fresh ground pepper

Huancaína Sauce

2 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 small shallot - cut in chunks
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 tablespoons ají amarillo paste - to taste
2 ounces queso fresco - cut in cubes
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ to ½ cup milk or cream
sea salt and fresh ground pepper - to taste

Papa a la Huancaína

lettuce leaves
cooled, sliced potatoes - roasted or boiled*
2 hard-cooked eggs - quartered
black olives, lime wedges, avocados - as desired

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400℉/204℃. Peel potatoes if desired. Cut into ½" thick slices, and toss with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.
Spread potatoes out on an ovenproof baking dish. Place in the preheated oven. Roast until tender (40-60 minutes), stirring occasionally to facilitate browning. Remove from the oven, and allow them to cool to room temperature.
While the potatoes roast, make the huancaína sauce. Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor, season and adjust as desired.
Make the garnishes – boil eggs (important!), drain olives, and if desired, slice avocado, lime, and cilantro.
Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter. Top with the cooled and sliced potatoes. Pour the huancaína sauce over top, and garnish as desired. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Notes
The dish is served cold as a side dish in restaurants all over Peru and usually comes garnished with parsley, olives and sliced hard-boiled eggs.
If you prefer to boil the sliced potatoes, boil them in salted water until barely tender, then drain.