Learn how to make Papa Rellena, Peruvian comfort food
In the first edition of Immigrant Recipes, New Women New Yorkers Board Director Maria shares a recipe for Papa Rellena, or stuffed potatoes, a savory dish from her home country of Peru. “This is Peruvian comfort food,” says Maria. “I always associate it with going back home to visit my family.”
Papa Rellena
Approx. 6 servings
Prep time: Approx. 60 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds white potatoes
1¼ pound meat (may combine pork and beef, finely diced or minced)
3 medium red onions chopped fine
½ pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced fine
1 tsp paprika
3½ oz black olives, pitted
3 oz raisins
3 hard-boiled eggs, diced
1 egg, beaten
Flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Boil potatoes in plenty of salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
- When potatoes are done, strain them well and when they are cool, peel them and mash them with a fork or ricer. Add salt to taste.
- For the filling:
- Season the meat with salt and pepper, to taste.
- On a medium sized skillet, heat vegetable oil. Brown the meat on each side, seasoning more as needed.
- Remove the meat from the skillet, leaving the oil.
- In that same skillet, saute the onion and tomato with the paprika.
- Cook on low heat until the onions begin to soften, then return the meat to the skillet. Mix and simmer all the ingredients together for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and mix in the hard-boiled eggs, raisins, and olives.
- Stuff the potatoes:
- Work the mashed potatoes with your hands until they resemble a soft, smooth dough.
- Flour a work surface and your hands.
- Place about ½ cup of the potato mixture in the palm of your hand and carefully form a thin disc-shaped layer. In the center place about 1 tbsp of the filling.
- Bring the sides of the potato layer together to cover filling and form large croquettes.
- Dip each croquette in beaten egg and then coat with sifted flour.
- Heat ¼ cup of oil in skillet and pan fry the croquettes until golden brown.
Note: Usually papa rellena is served with salsa criolla. This salsa is made with one medium-sized raw onion finely chopped and mixed with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 tbsp of vinegar and 1 tbsp of lime juice, as well as parsley, salt, and pepper, to taste.