A Peruvian potato stew that turns humble ingredients into pure comfort. Yellow chile, mirasol chile, and huacatay build a thick sauce where some of the potato melts into the broth while the rest keeps its shape, with broad beans, fresh cheese, and milk rounding everything out. Hot, creamy, and generous—the kind of lunch that makes any pot look too small.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium cubes; make the yellow potato pieces slightly smaller so some of them break down and naturally thicken the stew. Finely chop the onion and huacatay, and have the broad beans and fresh cheese ready before you begin.
Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 to 6 minutes, until soft and lightly translucent. Add the garlic, yellow chile, mirasol chile paste, cumin, black pepper, and a little more than half the salt. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the seasoning base is glossy, concentrated, and no longer smells like raw chile.
Add the white potatoes, yellow potatoes, and water. Stir, partially cover, and simmer gently for 12 minutes. Add the broad beans and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, until the white potato is tender when pierced with a spoon, the yellow potato is beginning to break down around the edges, and the beans are tender but still green. Mash a few yellow potato pieces against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce without turning the entire stew into purée.
Reduce the heat to low and add the evaporated milk, fresh cheese, huacatay, and the remaining salt. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes without letting it boil hard, until the sauce is creamy and coats the potatoes, and the cheese has softened while a few small pieces remain visible. Turn off the heat and rest for 2 minutes before serving piping hot. And that’s it! Potato, chile, and cheese doing a remarkable amount with very little. 😌
