Snacks & sides
Papa a la huancaína
Papa a la huancaína is one of Peru's best-loved dishes: cold boiled potatoes smothered in a smooth, spicy cheese sauce made with aji amarillo. It's served as a starter with egg and olives, and the sauce is good with just about anything.
Aji amarillo ripens to a deep orange-yellow and has a fruity flavour with moderate heat. Remove the seeds and membrane for a milder sauce.
- Prep 20 min
- Cook 20 min
- Total 40 min
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 800 g waxy potatoes
- 3 aji amarillo chillies, seeds removed, chopped
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 150 g feta or queso fresco
- 120 ml evaporated milk
- 4 plain crackers or 1 slice white bread
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
- Black olives and lettuce leaves, to serve
Method
-
Step 1
Cook potatoes
Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Cool, peel and slice thickly.
-
Step 2
Soften
Fry the chilli, onion and garlic in the oil for 5 minutes until soft.
-
Step 3
Blend
Blend with the cheese, evaporated milk, crackers and salt until smooth and thick. Add a little more milk if needed.
-
Step 4
Serve
Lay the lettuce on a plate, top with the potatoes and pour over the sauce. Finish with the eggs and olives.
Grow your own
The chillies in this recipe are easy to grow from seed in New Zealand.
