Recipe: Peruvian Style Potatoes with Spicy Cheese Sauce (Papa a la huancaína)

As the story goes, the Papa a la huancaína dates back to the construction of the Peruvian Central Railway. Tales are told about how the workers ate cooked potatoes with a spicy cheese sauce that was made with rocoto peppers by some lovely ladies of Huancayo. I love stories with historical references although I don’t know why we now use a yellow pepper. Español aquí.

I’m very excited to share this recipe with you, which follows the instructions of my Nicolini recipe book. Potatoes with huancaina sauce are a common hors d'oeuvre in Peru, but feel free to enjoy it as you please. My sister loves to treat her guests to cocktail potatoes and huancaina sauce. It’s fairly easy to make, with the exception that you have to boil the peppers in water three times to make them less spicy. You can reduce this time by cooking them in water with a microwave, which should take between 1 and 4 minutes. Don’t forget to wear mittens to remove your containers from the microwave if you use it, because it will be caliente. I hope you enjoy.



You won't see me in this video because I've changed equipment (as in my phone) and the video format is not compatible with my editing software. I'm kind of sad because I really wanted to tell you the story about the origins of the huancaina sauce. Some other time. Meanwhile, here is a little smile 😃. Kiss.

Ingredients
4 yellow peppers
200 grs of fresh white cow cheese (if you do not get it, try feta cheese)
½ cup milk
¼ cup oil
2 cooked egg yolks
2 cooked egg whites, grated
Juice of 1 lemon
4-6 cooked potatoes, sliced
Salt and pepper

Preparation
Remove the seeds and veins from the chili peppers.

Boil the peppers in water. Do this with new water 3 times.

Let it cool.

Blend the peppers with the cheese and milk.

Add the oil, yolks, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.

If it is too watery, add soda crackers.

Don't forget to cook the potatoes. I like to eat them with skin.

Serve the sauce over slices of the cooked potatoes. It is normal to decorate the dish by placing the potatoes over lettuce and garnish with grated egg whites and olives.

Makes 4 servings.