Papas a la Huancaina

6 servings
Preparation Time: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Sauce:
2 ounces queso fresco
2 ounces feta cheese
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 hard-cooked egg white
1 large soda cracker or 2 saltine crackers
1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt

Salad:
2 pounds whole (about 6 medium) potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 iceberg lettuce cups
12 Peruvian black olives (packed in brine) or kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

For sauce, in blender container, combine queso fresco, feta cheese and evaporated milk; process until well blended. Add cooked egg white, cracker, aji amarillo paste and turmeric; process until blended. With motor running, slowly add oil. Season with salt, as desired. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled. (Sauce will thicken on standing.) Meanwhile, for salad, combine 5 cups water, potatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well. Refrigerate potatoes for 10 minutes or until cool to the touch; cut into 1/4-inch slices. In large bowl, combine potatoes and sauce; gently fold together with rubber spatula. Spoon equal amounts potato mixture into each lettuce cup; garnish with olives.

Tip:
Queso fresco is a white, fresh Mexican cheese similar in texture to farmer’s cheese. Aji amarillo paste is made from Peruvian hot yellow pepper. Queso fresco, aji amarillo and Peruvian black olives can be found in Latin grocery stores and some specialty on-line food sources.

Chef James Schenk suggests using both purple and yellow potatoes to add vibrant color to this dish, but other varieties of potatoes will also work.

* Recipe adapted from Chef James Schenk of Destino in San Francisco, CA.



Submitted by Potato Help


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