Papas a la Huancaina

Description: "Boiled potatoes served with a spicy Bolivian peanut sauce"
Serving Size : 10
Preparation Time : 1:30


  Amount Measure      Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
  3        Tablespoons vegetable oil
  4        Teaspoons   Aji Amarillo -- powder
  1/4      cup         water
  12       ounces      peanut butter -- unsweetened
  1/4      cup         whole milk
  1/2      head        butter lettuce
  10       each        potato -- cubed 2" thick
  10       ounces      olives
  4        each        eggs, hard-boiled -- sliced 1/4-inch thick

Combine the vegetable oil, Aji Amarillo, and water in a sauce pan. Adjust the amount of aji to taste, 4 teaspoons should produce a medium heat sauce.

Heat mixture on low heat for 45 minutes. As the mixture reduces, keep adding water 1/4 cup at a time.  Continue to heat until the oil separates to the top and is reddish/yellow.

In a separate pot, boil the peeled cut potatoes till done. Rinse in cold water and allow to cool to room temperature.

In yet another small pot, hard boil the eggs.  When done, let them cool and slice 1/4" thick.

Add the peanut butter and milk to the sauce and blend well.  Continue to heat on low heat for another 1/2 hour. Add 1/4 cup water if the sauce gets too thick. Sauce is done when the oil starts to separate again.

Arrange lettuce leaves to cover the bottom of a serving dish.  Arrange room temperature potatoes over lettuce and cover with room temperature or slightly warm sauce. Add olives and sliced eggs over the sauce. Best olives to use are black Mediterranean olives with pit.

© 2006 Joe Carrasco