Peruvian Potatoes with Eggs, Chilies and Cheese
Peruvians have a way with eggs, as evidenced in such traditions as “papas a la huancaina,” an elaborate and beloved potato-and-egg salad, and “tacu tacu,” a hearty lunch plate special of rice and beans, steak and fried plantains, all topped off with a fried egg. And then there’s chili-spiked “ajiaco,” a kind of stew that in this case features potatoes, eggs and cheese. I say “a kind of stew” because it’s although it’s as thick and delicious as a slow-simmered, long-tended stew, it is, in fact, a relatively quick preparation.
Prep Time: 25
Total Time: 35
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed
6 Organic Valley eggs
2 tablespoons Organic Valley butter
1 cup finely chopped red onion
2-3 jalapeños, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups Organic Valley milk
4-6 ounces Organic Valley feta, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Boil potatoes in salted water until nearly tender. Meanwhile, place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over a medium flame. When the water comes to a simmer, turn off the heat, cover the pan and let the eggs stand 8 minutes. Drain and immerse the eggs in ice water to cool them. Peel and cut them into sixths.
2. Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium flame. Add red onions; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add jalapeños and garlic; cook another 3 minutes or so.
2. Drain the cooked potatoes; when they’ve cooled off a bit, cut them into chunks. Gently stir potatoes and milk into the cooked onions. Simmer until potatoes absorb some of the liquid. Stir in feta and eggs; heat briefly until everything is hot and creamy.
3. Stir in cilantro plus salt and pepper to taste. Serve in shallow bowls.
Note:
Freshness is all-important in eggs; and yet, in the case of hard-cooked eggs, a little age can actually come in handy. A slightly older egg will peel better than a super-fresh one; that’s because as an egg ages, the PH of the albumen (egg white) increases. This makes the egg white cling less tenaciously to the thin membrane that lies just under the shell’s surface and voila! the shell peels away more easily.
Quick-cooling eggs in ice water will also help make peeling easier.
Copyright by Terese Allen
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Customer Comments:
Customer rating: 
The author is not familiar to Peruvian food. The descriptions of Peruvian dishes are not accurate: the papa a la huancaina is by no means an egg and potato salad, and the tacu tacu does not have to have all of those 'ornaments'. As a Peruvian cook, I don't recognize de ajiaco recipe either. Jalapenos? Feta cheese? Come on.
Customer rating:
Obviously the author does not live in Peru and has made some changes to the original recipe which some people might live and some dont. Me I liked the taste combination this recipe has. Another thought is that you can never get the same items for recipes that you can in the country of origin so you make do with what is available. Spanish foods in US are some what different from the ones I have eaten in Spain as an example.
Customer rating:
Thanks for your comment! These are all dishes I've eaten either in Peru or at Peruvian restaurants in the U.S. I've been served papas a la huancaina several times or read recipes, and it always had hard-boiled eggs on the plate with the potatoes. It's true that tacu tacu doesn't have to have all the additions so this is just one way it can be served. Perhaps the recipe could be called "Peruvian-style"; it isn't meant to be 100 percent authentic, but to give Peruvian flavors and show how eggs get used with them.
Customer rating:
It may not be pure Peruvian, but it's still tasty. ES
Customer rating:
