“P” in our Around The World for £4 Or Less took us to Peru yesterday. According to the recipe (Which we modified slightly to keep in budget) these are a favourite snack or street food with kids, which are often dipped in Tomato Sauce. To be fair we thought the mashed Potato would have benefited by the addition of a little Mustard and Salt. But that aside.....
Ingredients:-
2 eggs
3 pounds of Potatoes
1 large Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Red Chillies, minced with Oil to make a paste
Vegetable oil, for cooking
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
250g mince Pork
3/4 cup beef stock
1/3 cup Capers
Salt & Pepper
Flour for dusting (We use Gluten Free flour)
Method:-
(1) Cook one of the eggs in boiling water until hard-boiled and set aside. Reserve the other egg.
(2) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the unpeeled potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork.
(3) While the potatoes are cooking, cook the onions, garlic, and Chilli paste in the vegetable oil until soft and fragrant.
(4) Add the Cumin and Paprika to the Onions and cook 2 minutes more, stirring.
(5) Add the minced Pork and cook until browned.
(6) Add the Stock and the Capers and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
(7) Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool.
(8) When the potatoes are cooked, drain them.
(9) When they are cool enough to handle, peel them, and then mash the potatoes thoroughly.
(10) Season the mashed potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.
(11) Chill the potatoes uncovered for several hours.
(12) Once the potatoes are very cold, stir the reserved egg into the mashed potatoes until well mixed.
(13) Peel the hard-boiled egg and chop into about six pieces.
(14) With floured hands, place about 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes in one hand, and make a well in the center.
(15) Fill the well with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the beef mixture and a piece of hard-boiled egg.
(16) Shape the Potato around the Pork, adding more Potato if necessary to fully enclose the filling, and shape the whole thing into an oblong potato shape, about the size of a medium potato.
(17) Repeat with the rest of the mashed potatoes. Coat each stuffed "potato" generously with flour.
(18) In a deep a deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 180C.
(19) Fry the potatoes in batches until they are golden brown.
(20) Drain them on a plate lined with paper towels.
We enjoyed ours with home made Garlic Bread and Coleslaw. It sould like a lite snack, but these guys are remarkably filling.
