Papa a la Huancaina (Peruvian Potatoes in Spicy Cheese Sauce)

Ingredients

• 2 lb yellow potatoes
• 3 aji amarillo peppers, seeded, or 3 tbsp aji amarillo paste
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 8 oz queso fresco, crumbled
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk or heavy cream
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• 8 black olives

Before you cook

• Scrub the potatoes.
• If using fresh aji amarillo peppers, remove the seeds and stems.
• Chop the onion and garlic.
• Hard-boil the eggs, cool, peel and quarter them.

Steps

1. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold salted water.
2. Bring the pot to a boil and cook for 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.
3. Drain the potatoes and let them cool completely, then peel and slice them into 1/2-inch rounds.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
5. Add the aji amarillo peppers, onion and garlic and cook for 4 minutes until softened.
6. Transfer the softened peppers, onion and garlic to a blender.
7. Add the crumbled queso fresco and evaporated milk to the blender.
8. Blend on low speed until the mixture looks chunky and combined.
9. With the blender running, slowly stream in the olive oil until the sauce turns smooth and creamy.
10. Taste the sauce and season with salt.
11. Pour the sauce into a small saucepan and warm it gently over low heat, without boiling.
12. Line a serving plate with the lettuce leaves.
13. Arrange the sliced potatoes over the lettuce.
14. Pour the warm huancaina sauce generously over the potatoes.
15. Garnish with the quartered eggs and black olives before serving.