Llapingachos

Ingredients

Patties

• 1 kgfloury potatoes
• 1onion, very finely chopped
• 1 tspachiote powder
• 2 tbspoil or lard
• 1 tspsalt

Filling

• 250 gqueso fresco, crumbled

Peanut sauce

• 150 groasted peanuts
• 1onion
• 2 clovesgarlic
• 1 tspachiote
• 300 mlmilk
• 2 tbspoil
• salt

To serve

• fried egg
• avocado
• chorizo
• curtido of onion and tomato
• lettuce

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes whole in their skins, then peel and rice them while still hot.
2. Boil them whole and unpeeled. Cut and boiled they take on water, and a wet mash cannot hold a filling.
3. Fry the finely chopped onion in the oil with the achiote until soft and the oil has turned deep orange.
4. Achiote is for colour as much as flavour and it is what gives llapingachos their characteristic golden face.
5. Mix the achiote onion and its oil into the riced potato with the salt, and work it into a smooth firm dough.
6. Chill it for 30 minutes, which firms it enough to shape.
7. Take a piece of the potato dough, flatten it in your palm, put a spoonful of crumbled cheese in the centre, and close it over.
8. Seal it completely and check for cracks before flattening. Cheese that reaches a crack melts out onto the griddle and the patty falls apart.
9. Press each into a flat disc about 2 cm thick and chill them again.
10. For the peanut sauce, fry the onion, garlic and achiote, then blend with the roasted peanuts and milk until smooth.
11. Return it to the pan and simmer 10 minutes, stirring, until it thickens to a pouring sauce.
12. Cook the peanut sauce out properly. Blended and served straight it tastes raw and chalky, and those ten minutes are what turn it into a sauce.
13. Heat a heavy griddle or pan with a film of oil over a medium heat.
14. Cook the patties for 4 to 5 minutes a side, without moving them, until a deep golden crust has formed.
15. Leave them alone until the crust sets. Turned too early they tear in half and the cheese escapes.
16. Serve two or three per plate, doused in warm peanut sauce, with a fried egg, avocado, chorizo and a sharp onion and tomato curtido.
17. The peanut sauce is poured over rather than served alongside, which is how Ecuadorian plates arrive.
18. They come from the Ecuadorian highlands around Ambato and Latacunga, where potatoes and achiote are both local.

Technique

• Queso fresco is soft, salty and barely melting, which is what keeps it inside rather than running out.
• They are a full plate rather than a side dish, despite the small size.
• They can be shaped ahead and chilled overnight, which makes them easier to handle.

Substitutions

• Halloumi or a young feta rinsed of salt, in place of queso fresco.
• Paprika with a little turmeric for the colour, in place of achiote.

Variations

• Served as a side to hornado roast pork.
• Without the peanut sauce, simply with egg and avocado.
• Made small, as an appetiser.

History

Cheese-stuffed potato patties griddled on achiote, a dish of the Ambato and central highlands served with peanut sauce and chorizo.

Frequently asked questions

What is Llapingachos?

Llapingachos is a salad & side from Ecuador: cheese-stuffed potato patties griddled and doused in peanut sauce. Cheese-stuffed potato patties griddled on achiote, a dish of the Ambato and central highlands served with peanut sauce and chorizo.

How long does Llapingachos take to make?

Llapingachos takes 40 min plus 30 min chilling of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 patties. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Llapingachos?

Yes, within limits. Halloumi or a young feta rinsed of salt, in place of queso fresco. Paprika with a little turmeric for the colour, in place of achiote.

What is the most important thing to get right in Llapingachos?

The peanut sauce is poured over rather than served alongside, which is how Ecuadorian plates arrive.