Papas Rellenas

Food Service Search Staff

INGREDIENTS:Red Onion Garnish:
1 ½ cups lime juice
1 ½ tsp. aji amarilo (Peruvian hot yellow pepper, sold in jars or frozen whole)
1 ½ tsp. sugar
4 ½ cups red onions, very thinly sliced
as needed, salt

Picadillo:
1 ¼ lbs. beef top round steak, well-trimmed
1 small onion, quartered
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 bay leaf
1 ½ quarts water
2 tsp. vegetable oil
2 cups diced onion
1 tsp. chopped garlic
4 tsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
3/4 tsp. paprika
as needed, cayenne pepper
1 ½ Tbsp. chopped green olives
1 ½ Tbsp. raisins
as needed, salt and black pepper

8 lbs. white potatoes, peeled and quartered
approx. 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
as needed, salt
1 ½ cups vegetable oil DIRECTIONS:For garnish: Whisk together lime juice, aji amarillo and sugar. Pour over onions; season to taste with salt. Chill overnight; drain before using. Yields 3 cups.

For picadillo: In stockpot, combine beef, quartered onion, tomatoes, bay leaf and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours. Cool; chop beef into 1/8 inch dice. Strain cooking liquid; reserve 3/4 cup. In skillet, heat oil until hot. Saute diced onion and garlic until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, oregano, paprika and cayenne. Add beef, reserved cooking liquid, olives and raisins. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover; chill before using. Yields 3 cups.

Place potatoes in pot. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Pass hot potatoes through ricer. Stir in 1 cup flour until blended; season to taste with salt. Cover; chill before using.

Flour hands well. Place ½ cup potato mixture in the palm of your hand; make an indentation for filling. Add 2 Tbsp. Picadillo. Wrap potato around filling to enclose completely. Shape into flat oval. Place on well-floured sheet pan. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form total of 24 Papas Rellenas. Cover; chill before using.

For each serving, to order: In saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil; cook 1 Papa Rellena until browned on both sides and heated through. Serve with 2 Tbsp. Red Onion Garnish. SERVINGS:24 servings From:Chefs Ticha and Dan Krinsky, Tierra Restaurant, Atlanta PHOTO CREDIT:Photo Credit: THE UNITED STATES POTATO BOARD