Papas Rellenas May 2011

From: Chefs Ticha and Dan Krinsky, Tierra Restaurant, Atlanta. Yield: 24 servings, 1 papa rellena each.

Red Onion Garnish:

½ cup lime juice

1½ tsps. aji amarillo (Peruvian hot yellow pepper, found pureed in jars or frozen whole)*

1½ tsp. sugar

4½ cups red onions, very thinly sliced**

Picadillo:

1 lb., 4 oz. beef top round steak, well trimmed

1 small onion, quartered

2 tomatoes, quartered

1 bay leaf

1½ qt. water

as needed for sauteeing, vegetable oil

12 oz. diced onion

1 tsp. chopped garlic

1 Tbsp. 1 tsp. flour

2 tsp. dried oregano leaves

¾ tsp. paprika

as needed, cayenne pepper

1½ Tbsp. chopped green olives

1½ Tbsp. raisins

as needed, salt and black pepper

8 lb. white potatoes, peeled and quartered

1½ cups (approximately) all-purpose flour

as needed, salt

1½ cups vegetable oil

For red onion 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 ⅛" dice. Strain cooking liquid; reserve ¾ cup.

In saute pan, heat oil until hot. Saute diced onion and garlic until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, oregano, paprika and cayenne pepper. Add beef, reserved cooking liquid, olives and raisins; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black 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 palm of your hand. Make an indentation for the filling. Add 2 Tbsp. Picadillo. Wrap potato around filling to enclose completely. Shape into a flat oval. Place on well-floured sheet pan. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form a 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 boths sides and heated through. Serve with 2 Tbsp. Red Onion Garnish.

*For whole aji amarillo, peel, seed and puree in a blender with a small amount of vegetable oil; use as directed.

**A mandoline can be used to slice onions very thinly.