← Nouns Cooking · Brazilian & Peruvian

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg floury potatoes
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 400 g Minced beef
• 1 Red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp ají panca paste (or 1 tsp paprika)
• ½ tsp Cumin
• 1 Tomato, diced
• 30 g Raisins
• 6 black olives, chopped
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 100 g plain flour, for coating
• 1 Eggs, beaten
• 500 ml vegetable oil, for frying

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins for 20–25 min, until completely tender. Peel while warm, mash until very smooth, then knead in the flour and salt. Leave to cool.
2. For the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and brown the beef for 5 min. Add the onion and cook for 5 min, then the garlic, ají panca, cumin and tomato and cook for 5 min more, until thick. Season, cool, then stir in the raisins, olives and eggs.
3. Divide the mash into 6. With floured hands, flatten one portion into a thick disc in your palm, spoon a sixth of the filling into the centre and close the potato around it, smoothing it into a fat oval. Repeat.
4. Chill the potatoes for 30 min to firm up.
5. Heat 3 cm of oil in a deep frying pan to 180°C (350°F). Dip each potato in beaten egg, roll in flour, and fry two or three at a time for 3–4 min, turning gently, until golden all over.
6. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with salsa criolla (thin red onion, lime and chilli).

Tips

• Dry, floury potatoes such as Russet or Maris Piper make the smoothest dough; if the mash feels sticky, knead in a little more flour.
• They reheat well in a hot oven for 10–15 min.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

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