Papitas Rellenas Image Used Under Creative commons License From pinterest.com
Citizens, my first exposure to Peruvian Papitas Rellenas was at the SOMA street food park in San Francisco not two weeks ago!
A Peruvian food truck was there, and these sizzling potato croquettes were the star attraction. Peru is the ancestral home of the potato and this croquette combined the humble fried mashed tater exterior with a nobly spiced meat filling genetically linked to the Argentine empanada.
Papas rellenas (English: stuffed potatoes) are the most popular type of croquettes in Latin American countries such as Chile, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, Peru, and the Caribbean.
The first recorded Latin American recipes were printed in the late 19th century, during a time when French cuisine (among others, e.g. Italian) was influencing those of Latin America.
In Peru, the dish is a baked potato dough into which a filling made of chopped beef and onions, whole olives, hard-boiled eggs, cumin and other spices is stuffed. Once prepared, the obloid mass is deep-fried. Potato flour is often added to give greater consistency to the dough. In Peru, the dish is usually accompanied with a “salsa criolla”, or an aji sauce.
A spicy dipping sauce and pickled onion rounded this simple dish out into a truly flavorful masterpiece worthy of its ancient Incan roots.
Papitas Rellenas is not a difficult recipe to make, but I guarantee it will be the talk of the table if you follow this authentic recipe with exactitude.
Citizens – enjoy this dish of the high and remote Andes! 🙂
Battle on – The Generalissimo
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 lb. Yellow potatoes
- Flour as needed
- Eggs as needed
- 10 oz Ground beef
- 5 tbsp Black raisins, chopped
- 5 tbsp Piquillo peppers, finely diced
- 5 tbsp Red onion, finely diced
- Spearmint, finely chopped to taste
- Parsley, finely chopped to taste
- Canola oil for frying
- Salsa
- 2 Ají amarillo peppers, minced
- 1 Red onion, thinly sliced
- Cilantro, finely minced
- 2 Tomatoes, finely diced
- Lime juice to taste
- Salt to taste
- White pepper to taste
- Olive oil to taste
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain and immediately press through a ricer. Add the flour and beaten eggs and mix by hand until all the ingredients are combined. Season with Salt to taste.
- For the filling, heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat and cook the onion until translucent. Add the ground meat and cook until the meat is almost cooked through.Add the piquillo peppers and the chopped herbs. Season with salt to taste.
- For the salsa, combine all of the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and season with lime juice and salt to taste. Set aside for garnish.
- To assemble the croquettes, flatten a ball of the potato mixture in the palm of your hand.
- Place a spoonful of the ground meat filling in the center and enclose all sides, balling the mixture in the palm of your hand.
- Lightly dust the balls in flour, pass through the beaten eggs and dust in flour again.
- Heat the oil in a heavy skillet to 375F and fry the balls until they are browned and crispy on all sides.
- Serve immediately with the salsa.
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