Papa a la Huancaína is one of my favorite Peruvian dishes, and as Vermont tends to lack good Peruvian cuisine, it falls to me to recreate my own versions of Peruvian dishes such as this one.  Papa a la Huancaína, in its simplest form, is a potato smothered in a spicy cheese sauce.  I decided to plate up my papa a la Huancaína on a bed of salad greens, and served it with hardboiled eggs and olives.  Another popular garnish for papa a la Huancaína are pickled red onions, but I decided to give those a pass this time around.

Huancaína Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Queso Fresco (or a salty, white farm cheese)
• 6-8 tbsp Aji Amarillo Paste (You can buy the paste already made or make it yourself.  Aji amarillo is not something you can find locally here in Vermont, so I usually order the pre-made paste online.  Last time I checked, the Goya brand sells it through both Amazon and Walmart.)
• 3 – 4 tbsp Cream or Milk
• 3 – 4 tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Directions:

1. One of the main things you need to know about making Huancaína sauce is that it is always prepared and served cold.  Kind of like pesto.  The food it is served on can be hot, and warm up the sauce slightly, but the sauce itself shouldn’t be cooked.  Due to the cheese base of the sauce, cooking it can lead to curdling.
2. Blend the aji amarillo paste and crumbled cheese together in a blender.
3. Pour in the cream/milk, and continue to blend.
4. Add in the oil, while blending, until the sauce is thick but smooth.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

Papa a la Huancaína

Ingredients:

• boiled Potatoes
• Huancaína Sauce
• hardboiled Eggs
• Kalamata Olives
• Pickled Red Onions
• Salad Greens

Directions:

1. Plate up your warm potatoes, and drizzle the Huancaína sauce over them.
2. Garnish your papa a la Huancaína with hardboiled eggs, olives, red onions, or greens.