Ingredients
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salsa, a la Huancaina, Spicy Cheese Sauce
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4 tablespoons oil, vegetable
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1/2 cup onion, chopped
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1/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional, if you don't want it spicy add tumeric instead)
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2 garlic cloves, mashed
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2 cups cheese, white farmer's cheese (queso freso, may sub with feta)
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3/4 cup milk, evaporated
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1 pinch salt (to taste)
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1/4 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
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8 potatoes (yellow or white)
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lettuce leaf (for plating)
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2 hard-boiled eggs
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8 large black olives, halved
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3 -4 chili peppers (yellow aji amarillo frozen is fine or 1/2 cup jarred aji amarillo paste)
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4 crackers, saltine (or for slightly sweet flavor add animal crackers instead)
Instructions
- For the sauce - Remove seeds from yellow chile peppers and chop into 1 inch pieces.
- Sauté the onion, garlic, and chile peppers (or paste) in the oil until onion is softened, about 3-5 minutes. If using the tumeric option, add it now.
- Once onion is softened remove from heat and let cool.
- Place the onion-chile mixture in a food processor or blender, add the evaporated milk and blend.
- Next add the cheese and crackers and blend until smooth.
- The sauce should be fairly thick. If necessary thicken you can thicken the sauce with more saltines or thin the sauce with more .
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at room temperature or chilled.
- For the potatoe dish - Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling and add the potatoes.
- Boil the potatoes until tender, drain and let cool.
- Slice the potatoes and place on top of the lettuce leaves.
- Then pour the huancaÃna sauce over the potatoes and garnish with slices of hard-boiled egg and black olive halves.