Papa a la Huancaína (Huancayo-Style Potatoes)

This papa a la Huancaína recipe from Huancayo, Peru, is a simple appetizer of boiled potatoes, hard-boiled egg, and olives in a creamy cheese sauce.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Calories: 586 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic
• 8 leaves lettuce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or to taste
• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 12 Yukon Gold potatoes
• 6 chile peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 pound queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese), crumbled
• 8 black olives, pitted and halved
• 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 0.25 cup vegetable oil
• 0.33333334326744 cup evaporated milk
• 4 large hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthwise

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

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.

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step 3

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Cook chile peppers in boiling water until soft, about 5 minutes. Run chiles under cold water until cool enough to handle; remove and discard skins.

Step 4

Add onion, chile peppers, cream cheese, queso fresco, vegetable oil, salt, garlic, and black pepper to a blender; blend until smooth. Stream evaporated milk into blended mixture with the blender on until sauce is creamy.

Step 5

Arrange 1 lettuce leaf onto each of 8 plates. Halve potatoes and arrange 3 halves onto each lettuce leaf. Pour sauce over potatoes. Top each serving with an egg half and 2 olive halves.