POTATOES WITH VERSATILE CHEESE AND AJI AMARILLO SAUCE.
Very high in the Andes, the beautiful city of Huancayo is the flourishing commercial emporium of the region. It has fantastic food and is abundant in fresh produce, especially artichokes. Papa a la Huancaina, (potatoes Huancayo style) are boiled yellow potatoes covered with an even yellower spicy and creamy cheese sauce, and accompanied by hard-boiled eggs and black olives. This easy recipe is so popular that you can find the Huancaina sauce everywhere: as a dip for crudites, quails eggs, corn, or fried yucca, as a sauce for spaghetti or risotto (surprisingly good), over Causa Limeña (I love this one), with steak…you name it. If it was up to me, I would have it even for dessert.
Creamy or lumpy, depending if it´s made in the blender, or by hand with a fork or in a mortar, its texture and flavor charms either way. But modern cooks rely on the blender because it´s easy and they can have the sauce ready in a minute. The food processor is another good idea, but here instead of queso fresco try to use cottage cheese or cream cheese. If the sauce is too dense add more milk. When it´s ready, it should have the consistency of custard.
It can also be made in the blink of an eye if you have Aji Amarillo paste at hand. Just process about 2-3 tablespoons of it with all the other ingredients, y listo!
It is a fact that some cooks like the sauce extremely spicy, and it can be overpowering and make it difficult to appreciate the sensations of this unpretentious and satisfying dish. Do I make it spicy? Of course! But I enjoy a nice kick that is not excessively hot.
Papa a la Huancaina (for 4)
6 yellow potatoes, boiled and peeled
5 aji Amarillo chili pepper, seeded and ribbed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 soda crackers
8 oz. queso fresco (fresh white cheese)
1 cup evaporated milk
Iceberg lettuce leaves
Black olives
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in slices
Salt
Parsley sprigs
* Cut the aji and take out the seeds and ribs. Boil in salted water for 15 minutes, strain and peel: the skin will be easy to remove.
*Put the aji in the blender, add oil and milk and process with the crackers, white cheese, and salt, until creamy.
*In a plate put a lettuce leaf, some thick potato slices, and cover with a few tablespoons of the sauce.
* Decorate with black olives, hard boiled eggs and parsley.
Related recipes:
- Ají de gallina, something to crow about SPICY CHICKEN IN CREAMY CHEESE, PECAN AND HOT PEPPER SAUCE. Creamy, spicy, with the pungency of the Parmesan cheese and...
- Lomo saltado, Chinese inspired feast for the senses SCRUMPTIOUS STIR FRIED SIRLOIN STEAK AND VEGGIES WITH FRENCH FRIES AND RICE. Our affection for this juicy, steamy, homey dish...
- Salsa criolla, the perfect complement Onions, Aji Amarillo chilies, lime juice and a few cilantro leaves, a simple mix of intense flavor. Salsa criolla accompanies...
This is so yummy. I once experimented with different cheeses: goat cheese or feta. I even tried a vegan version with tofu, but had to add a little bit of Nutritional Yeast to it.
Oh, Im totally trying the tofu/yeast mix, and the cheese mix! Great ideas Andrea, thanx!
I’ve been hanging out for this for months now. Thanks for the recipe!! Which kind of white cheese would you recommend for substitute to Peruvian white cheese? Ricotta? Is fetta too overpowering?
Hi Natasha, you can find queso fresco in most grocery stores. Feta is a good option but sometimes it is too salty. Ricotta is good, too.
I used frozen aji Amarillo peppers. The taste is not even close to what I had in Peru.