Llapingachos recipe

Andean potato cakes coloured with an achiote and onion refrito, each one hiding a core of fresh cheese and served under peanut sauce.

2 hours and 25 minutesmedium11 ingredients

Ingredients

• 4 tsp ground achiote
• 1000 g potatoes
• 200 g fresh white cheese
• 2 white onion
• 150 g roasted peanuts
• 250 ml milk
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 avocadoes
• 4 chorizo

How to make Llapingachos

1. Boil 1 kg of peeled floury potatoes in salted water for 25 minutes, drain and mash them hot with no added liquid.
2. Make the refrito: 4 tbsp of oil, half a white onion finely chopped and 4 tsp of ground achiote, 5 minutes over medium heat. The achiote is what gives llapingachos their orange-yellow colour.
3. Fold the refrito into the mash, salt it, and leave it 1 hour at room temperature. The mash has to dry out or the cakes will fall apart in the pan.
4. Roll 8 balls, press a hollow in each and fill it with 200 g of crumbled fresh cheese, then close it back up. The cheese stays in the middle, it is never mixed through.
5. Flatten into 2 cm thick discs and chill 30 minutes so they hold.
6. For the peanut sauce, blend 150 g of roasted peanuts with 250 ml of milk, pour it over a second onion and achiote refrito and let it thicken 10 minutes.
7. Cook the cakes on a very hot lightly oiled griddle, 4-5 minutes a side, flipping only once so the crust stays intact.
8. Serve 2 cakes per person under the peanut sauce, with grilled chorizo, a fried egg, avocado and salad.

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