Papas rellenas
stuffed potatoes
Mashed-potato dumplings wrapped around seasoned meat or cheese and fried until crisp, with strong national variations.
About this dish
Mashed-potato dumplings wrapped around seasoned meat or cheese and fried until crisp, with strong national variations. The recipe here chooses one named variation from that wider tradition; household fillings, shapes and serving styles may differ.
Recipe
Peruvian beef papas rellenas
Shell
- 1 kg cooked peeled yellow potatoes, cooled and riced
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 20-40 g flour if needed
Filling
- 300 g ground beef
- 1 onion (120 g), minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp ají panca paste
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 40 g raisins
- 40 g pitted olives, chopped
Coating
- 50 g flour
- 750 ml oil for frying
- 1
Filling: 300 g ground beef; 1 onion (120 g), minced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Cook onion and garlic in filling oil; add beef, ají, cumin and seasoning. Cook thoroughly and fairly dry; cool and mix with eggs, raisins and olives. Use moderate heat, break beef into crumbs and cook to 71°C/160°F. Reduce loose liquid and cool promptly before adding cooked egg.
- 2
Shell: 1 kg cooked peeled yellow potatoes, cooled and riced; 1 egg; 1/2 tsp salt; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Mix potatoes with shell egg and salt; add flour only if too soft to shape. Use dry cooled potato mash, mix lightly and add upper flour only if needed; do not knead tough.
- 3
Coating: 50 g flour. Divide into 8, flatten into thick ovals and enclose filling. Seal completely and dust lightly with coating flour. Keep filling clear of shell edges, enclose fully and smooth every crack. Dust lightly rather than working coating flour into shell.
- 4
Fry at 170-175°C/340-350°F 5-7 minutes, turning carefully until golden and shell is cooked. Drain. Use a thermometer and small batches; test a cooked shell without wet egg or flour. Drain and let hot centers cool briefly.
Note
Potato is the shell, not a wheat pastry. Dry potatoes and cool, dry filling reduce splitting; test one before frying the batch.