An Arequipa classic of tender potatoes covered in an intense sauce of huacatay, chiles, toasted peanuts, and fresh cheese. Mirasol chile brings depth, the peanuts add a roasted backbone, and huacatay announces itself from the first aroma without turning the sauce heavy. It is the kind of starter that begins with a sensible serving and ends with someone chasing the last spoonful of ocopa.
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Place the white potatoes and eggs in a large pot, cover with the cold water, and bring to a boil. Remove the eggs after 10 minutes and continue cooking the potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes more, until a knife slides in easily while the potatoes still hold together and do not split in the water. Drain and let them cool slightly.
Remove the stems, seeds, and thick ribs from the ají amarillo. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and cook the red onion for 3 minutes, until it begins to turn translucent. Add the garlic, yellow chile, and ají mirasol paste; cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the chiles are soft, glossy, and smell toasted rather than raw.
Add the toasted peanuts to the skillet and stir for 1 minute, just until their aroma becomes more intense. Turn off the heat, add the huacatay, and stir for 30 seconds in the residual heat; the goal is to wilt it, not cook it until bitter. Let the mixture cool slightly for 3 minutes.
Transfer the cooked mixture to the blender and add the fresh cheese, soda crackers, evaporated milk, salt, and black pepper. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds, stopping to scrape the sides if needed, until the sauce is thick, smooth, and faintly textured from the peanuts, falling in a broad ribbon without becoming pasty. If the blender struggles, add only a small splash of extra milk.
Peel the potatoes once cool enough to handle and cut them into thick slices; peel the eggs and halve or quarter them. Arrange the lettuce on the serving platter, place the potatoes on top, and cover each portion generously with ocopa. Finish with egg and black olives, and serve cool or at room temperature rather than ice-cold. If huacatay arrives first, toasted peanut follows behind, and the sauce clings to the potato without running off, it came out right. And that is it—put some extra sauce on the table; assuming nobody will ask for more is usually far too optimistic 😌
