Peruvian Papas A La Huancaína Potatoes With Cheese Food

POTATOES WITH CHEESE SAUCE (PAPAS A LA HUANCAíNA)

Steps:

• Cover potatoes with water in a medium pot and season well with salt, then briskly simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool, then peel.
• Meanwhile, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then blend with remaining ingredients in a blender until very smooth and thicker than heavy cream (if necessary, thin with milk). Season with salt.
• Cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Spoon some sauce onto 8 small plates, then top with sliced potatoes. Serve remaining sauce on the side.
• What to drink:
• Concha y Toro Terrunyo Casablanca Valley Sauvignon Blanc '07

PAPA A LA HUANCAINA (HUANCAYO-STYLE POTATOES)

Steps:

• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Boil chile peppers until soft, about 5 minutes. Run chiles under cold water to cool until cool enough to handle; remove and discard skins.
• Blend onion, chile peppers, cheese, vegetable oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. Stream evaporated milk into the blended mixture while continuing to blend until a creamy sauce is achieved.
• Arrange 1 lettuce leaf onto each of 8 plates. Halve potatoes and arrange 3 halves onto each lettuce leaf. Drizzle creamy sauce over the potatoes. Top each with an egg half and two black olive halves.

PAPA A LA HUANCAINA (POTATOES WITH CHILE-CHEESE SAUCE)

Steps:

• Cover the whole potatoes with cold, salted water, boil until cooked through. Remove from heat, drain and cool. Peel the potatoes and cut in half length-wise or into rounds.
• Place the cheese, evaporated milk, peppers and turmeric in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. With the motor running, add the crackers one at a time to thicken the sauce. With the motor still running, drizzle in the oil. Add more crackers if the sauce is too thin, or some milk or water if it is too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves. Place the potatoes on top of the lettuce leaves. Spoon the chile-cheese sauce over the potatoes. Garnish serving plate with egg quarters and tomato wedges. Sprinkle olives over potatoes and serve cold or at room temperature.
• VARIATIONS:.
• Papa a la Huancaina is also popular in Bolivia. However, the cheese is sometimes substituted with 1 cup of natural peanut butter.
• Ají amarillois the fiery yellow pepper common in Peruvian cuisine. These peppers can be found canned or in jars at many Latino markets.
• Try using a variety of potatoes for a colorful effect: blue, Yukon gold, russets, etc.
• A little garlic can be added to the sauce. A little lime or lemon juice squeezed in the sauce can round out its taste nicely as well.
• A local herb, palillo, is often added to the sauce, imparting a further bright yellow color. It can sometimes be found in powdered form at Latino markets. Turmeric is a fine substitute.

PERUVIAN PAPAS A LA HUANCAíNA (POTATOES WITH CHEESE)

Steps:

• Scrub the potatoes, place them in a saucepan, cover with water, and boil until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain, allow the potatoes to cool. Peel them, cut them into quarters, and set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice, red pepper, and salt. Add onion slices and coat them with the mixture. Stir well and set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over low heat.
• Add cheese, turmeric, and heavy cream. Stirring constantly, continue cooking over low heat until cheese melts and mixture is smooth.
• Add the cooked potatoes and gently stir to heat through, about 5 minutes. Do not allow mixture to boil, or it will curdle.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with hard-boiled eggs.
• Sprinkle onion mixture over the potatoes. Serve immediately while potatoes are hot.

PAPAS A LA HUANCAíNA

Steps:

• Boil, peel and cut in slices potatoes (Yukon Gold potatoes).
• In a blender, mix the cheese, peppers, milk, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. The sauce should be fairly thick; add more cheese and olive oil if not, or add milk is too thick.
• Lay a bed of lettuce in a serving dish and place the potatoes on top. Cover with the sauce. Cut the hard boiled eggs in quarters or halfs and place on top of the potatoes. Add black olives if desired.
• This dish can be served slightly cold.

POTATOES WITH CHEESE SAUCE (PAPAS A LA HUANCAíNA)

Steps:

• Garnish: chopped pitted black Peruvian or Kalamata olives; lime wedges (preferably Key lime).
• Cover potatoes with water in a medium pot and season well with salt, then briskly simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool, then peel.
• Meanwhile, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then blend with remaining ingredients in a blender until very smooth and thicker than heavy cream (if necessary, thin with milk). Season with salt.
• Cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Spoon some sauce onto 8 small plates, then top with sliced potatoes. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

PAPAS A LA HUANCAINA

Steps:

• For the papas:.
• Assemble lettuce leaves on a nice plate or platter.
• Lay potato slices on top, trying to keep the round discs intact.
• For the salsa Huancaina:.
• In a blender container or food processor, place cheese, garlic, evaporated milk and aji paste, blend until smooth.
• Add 2 yolks of the hard boiled eggs, and a few water crackers.
• While blender is running, drizzle in 1 T of oil.
• Check consistency.
• It should be about the consistency of thin cake batter.
• If it needs more thickening, add more crackers and oil.
• Check seasoning, if you are using feta cheese, it might not need salt, you can also add a bit more aji if you like it spicy.
• To serve, pour sauce over potatoes and lettuce.
• Garnish with remaining 2 hard boiled eggs, cut in wedges and black olives.

POTATOES IN SPICY CHEESE SAUCE - PAPA A LA HUANCAINA

Steps:

• For the sauce - Remove seeds from yellow chile peppers and chop into 1 inch pieces.
• Sauté the onion, garlic, and chile peppers (or paste) in the oil until onion is softened, about 3-5 minutes. If using the tumeric option, add it now.
• Once onion is softened remove from heat and let cool.
• Place the onion-chile mixture in a food processor or blender, add the evaporated milk and blend.
• Next add the cheese and crackers and blend until smooth.
• The sauce should be fairly thick. If necessary thicken you can thicken the sauce with more saltines or thin the sauce with more .
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at room temperature or chilled.
• For the potatoe dish - Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling and add the potatoes.
• Boil the potatoes until tender, drain and let cool.
• Slice the potatoes and place on top of the lettuce leaves.
• Then pour the huancaína sauce over the potatoes and garnish with slices of hard-boiled egg and black olive halves.