Papas A La Arequipena

Servings: 8
Ingredients:

3 ea Chilies, ancho, dried,              1 ea Corn, ear, shucked,
-- split lengthwise,                     -- boiled tender, thinly
-- seeded                                -- sliced through the cob
1/3 c  Annato seed **                    1/4 c  Cilantro (coriander)
1 c  Oil, vegetable                           -- leaves, chopped
Lettuce leaves                           Olives, Calamata (garnish)
2 lg Eggs, hard cooked, sliced

——————————-POTATO MIXTURE——————————-
3 lb Potatoes, peeled, cooked, 1 ea Lemon, juice of OR
– mashed 1 ea Lime, juice of

———————————–SAUCE———————————–
Salt, coarse 2 ts Salt
1 c Oil, olive 1/2 lb Cheese, feta, Rumanian OR
2 sm Chilies, split lengthwise — crumbled
– seeded, and chopped 1/2 lb Cheese, feta, Greek,
1 ea Garlic, clove, peeled — crumbled
1 1/4 c Walnuts (5 ounces) Pepper (to taste)

** Available in Latin American markets

Hold each chili with a fork over a gas flame, turning until
lightly roasted on all sides. Place the chili in a bowl with 2 cups
of warm water, and soak for 20 minutes.

Prepare achiote oil by stirring together annato seeds and
vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove
from the heat and cool. Oil will keep indefinitely, tightly covered,
in a cool place.

For Potato Mixture:
===================

Stir 1/4 cup achiote oil into mashed potatoes (reserve remainder
of the oil for another use). Add lime or lemon juice and salt to
taste. Set aside.

For Sauce:
==========

Drain ancho chilies, reserving soaking liquid, and place them in
a processor with the olive oil, fresh chilies, and garlic. Process
until smooth. With the machine running, add 1/2 cup of walnuts, 1/2
cup reserved pepper soaking liquid and 2 tablespoons of salt. Process
until smooth. Add half of the crumbled cheese and process until
smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. Coarsely chop the remaining
walnuts and add them to the mixture with the remaining cheese; salt
and pepper to taste.

Shape potato mixture into about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch balls.
Arrange them on a bed of lettuce leaves, spooning a little sauce on
top. Garnish with eggs, corn, coriander and olives. Serve at room
temperature.

Source: New York’s Master Chefs, Bon Appetit Magazine
: Written by Richard Sax, Photographs by Nancy McFarland
: The Knapp Press, Los Angeles, 1985

Chef: Felipe Rohas-Lombardi, Rojas-Lombardi Restaurant,
: New York

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