PERU
Papa a la Huancaína
45 mins
4 persons
Average
You don't often see potatoes playing the leading role in a dish. This is a different story with the Peruvian recipe from Huancayo (a city in the middle of Peru) 'Papa a la Huancaína'. The potato is presented on a bed of lettuce and sprinkled with a special huancaína sauce. This is a sauce made from seasonings such as garlic, onion and yellow peppers, and some more unusual ingredients such as feta, coffee milk and mini crackers. How did the Peruvians get here? There are several stories about this popular recipe. The most famous version tells us that 'Papa a la Huancaína' was first reserved around the 19th century by a woman from Huancayo. She made this recipe for workers on a train line between Lima and Huancayo. They were very surprised by the delicious taste of this dish, after which they called it 'Papa a la Huancaína' and distributed it throughout the country.
Preparation
Step 1: Make the huancaína sauce
Finely chop the garlic, onion and yellow peppers. Crumble the crackers and feta.
Mix the crackers with the milk in a bowl and let it soak.
Put some oil in a pan and add the garlic and onion. Let this caramelize and add salt and pepper.
Then add the yellow peppers and fry briefly.
Add some hot water so that everything is just covered and cook for about half an hour. Add some water if it becomes too dry.
Step 2: Boil and fry the potatoes
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
Grate the skin of the potatoes and cut into slices.
Boil the potatoes in plenty of water for 7 minutes and drain.
Sprinkle the potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
At the same time, boil the eggs for the garnish.
Step 3: Make the Papa a la Huancaína
Mix all ingredients (except the potatoes and eggs) in a blender to make the huancaína sauce.
Serve the potatoes on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle with the huancaína sauce. Garnish with olives and a boiled egg.