Ingredients
Potatoes
- 1 kgfloury potatoes, cut into thick chips
- oil, for deep frying
- salt
Sausage
- 500 ghot dog sausages or salchicha, sliced diagonally
Sauces
- mayonnaise
- tomato ketchup
- ají amarillo sauce
- mustard
- huacatay sauce, optional
Optional additions
- a fried egg
- grated cheese
- sliced onion
- chopped coriander
To serve
- in a paper tray or a foil container
Directions
- Cut the potatoes into thick chips rather than thin fries. Thick chips hold up under the sauces.
- Rinse them in cold water to wash off surface starch, then dry them thoroughly. Dry them properly on a cloth, because wet potatoes spit violently and steam rather than frying.
- Lift them out and let them cool and steam dry for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile slice the sausages on a steep diagonal, about 1 cm thick.
- Cut them on the diagonal rather than straight across, which gives more surface to brown and is how street vendors do it. Fry the sausage slices in a hot pan with a little oil until browned and crisp at the edges, about 4 minutes. Brown them properly.
- Keep the fried sausage warm while you finish the chips. Now raise the frying oil to 190°C (375°F) and fry the chips again for 3 to 4 minutes until deep golden and audibly crisp.
- Drain them on a rack and salt them immediately while they are hot enough for the salt to stick. Pile the hot chips into a tray and scatter the sausage over them. Squeeze the sauces over in thick zigzags: mayonnaise, ketchup and ají amarillo at least.
- Serve immediately, with a small fork or a wooden skewer. It has to be eaten straight away, because the sauces soften the chips within a few minutes. Add a fried egg on top if you want it as a fuller meal, which is common.
Technique
- Salchipollo adds fried chicken and salchipapa con huevo adds a fried egg.
- Every country from Peru to Bolivia to Colombia has its own version and its own sauce preferences.
- It is deliberately unrefined and it is not trying to be anything else.
Substitutions
- Good frozen chips, though the double-fried version is far better.
- Any frankfurter or mild sausage.
Variations
- With a fried egg on top.
- Salchipollo, with fried chicken as well.
- With cheese melted over the whole thing.
History
Born on Lima’s streets in the mid-twentieth century and now a night-time standard across the Andes.
Frequently asked questions
What is Salchipapa?
Salchipapa is a street food from Peru: sliced fried sausage over chips, drenched in mayonnaise and ketchup. Born on Lima’s streets in the mid-twentieth century and now a night-time standard across the Andes.
How long does Salchipapa take to make?
Salchipapa takes 20 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Salchipapa?
Yes, within limits. Good frozen chips, though the double-fried version is far better. Any frankfurter or mild sausage.
What is the most important thing to get right in Salchipapa?
Cut the potatoes into thick chips rather than thin fries. Thick chips hold up under the sauces.
