Daring Cooks: Papas Rellenas

Kathlyn of Bake Like a Ninja was our Daring Cooks’ March 2011 hostess. Kathlyn challenges us to make two classic Peruvian dishes: Ceviche de Pescado from “Peruvian Cooking – Basic Recipes” by Annik Franco Barreau. And Papas Rellenas adapted from a home recipe by Kathlyn’s Spanish teacher, Mayra 

A quick read through Kathlyn’s March challenge post brought to mind several other "filled" foods; Salvadorean pupusas, Polish pierogi, Indian samosas, Latin empanadas, and the list goes on. One notable difference stood out, Papas Rellenas traditionally have a filling encased in potatoes, not in a flour or masa dough. Potatoes! reminiscent of a British cottage pie or shepherd’s pie, perhaps? Dough, bread or potatoes wrapped around a savory filling, and baked or fried - that could describe comfort food in many cultures.

I procrastinated this month, leaving the challenge until the last possible moment. What was I thinking? Sigh, I could relate to the drooping daffodils outside the kitchen window, me feeling a wee bit stressed while the flowers struggled against rain and wind.

The March Daring Cooks' Challenge was to make one or both of the posted recipes, an option I truly appreciated this month. Thank you, Kathlyn! It was no surprise that once I busied myself in the kitchen - chopping vegies, riceing potatoes, sauteing and stirring filling, forming and frying the Papas - any lingering stress disappeared from my day.The following decisions helped me out too.

   1. Ignore the ceviche portion of the challenge. Been there, done that many times, so provide a link to my previous halibut ceviche post. (here)

   2. Use Kathlyn's suggested method, but substitute the filling ingredients from my lamb merguez sausage recipe.(here) I had everything in stock so that eliminated a trip to the store.

   3. Add additional vegetables to the Salsa Criolla, just in case we decided mid-dinner to switch the entree to lamb burgers or tacos instead. 

The Good News:

   The many varied parts of the recipe were completed in one afternoon, albeit a long one.

   RL enjoyed the Papas Rellenas, and we already know he loves ceviche. ("Why bother cooking halibut any other way when this is so good?!")

The Rest of the Story:

   Procrastinating right up to the last day meant it did take the entire afternoon to prep, cook, dine and photograph... and that still left some writing to do. (So here I sit, after midnight, editing like crazy.)

   The kitchen is a mess, the stove glistens with grease droplets, the house reeks of oil, and yes, I really did enjoy The Papas Rellenas Experience.

Did We Enjoy the Dish?

   I liked it, but didn't love it: too little filling in too much potato. Perhaps forming a small meatball first, then coating it in a thin layer of potato, would be a workable alternative.  

   RL was more enthusiastic: he loved the crunch of the crust, and had fun evaluating the taste effect of different sauces and condiments. Salsa Criolla was his favorite, though HP Sauce ranked right up there.

Would I Prepare it Again?

Probably not, but I won't hesitate to share a small plate of Papas at any local Latin restaurant.

Papas Rellenas (de carne)

Made 6 small papas and 4 larger ones (with 1.5 cups of potato left over) 

For the dough:

2¼ lb russet potatoes


1 large egg

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a medium pot cover the potatoes with cold water: boil until cooked through. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Peel the cooled potatoes; force them through a potato ricer, or smoosh them with a potato masher.
3. Add egg, salt and pepper and knead “dough” thoroughly. Be certain these additions are well combined and evenly distributed.

While waiting for the potatoes to cool down, before finishing the dough, you can 

Make the filling:

I used a 1/4 recipe of my Lamb Merguez ingredients, adapted to Kathlyn's suggested method.

1. Place all ingredients, except onion, red pepper and garlic, in a medium-sized bowl.  
2. Lightly coat a small skillet with oil, or spray with a cooking spray: saute the chopped onion, red pepper and garlic over medium heat for a few minutes, until soft but not browned. Remove from the skillet and add to the mixture in the bowl and mix well - until it is really, really well-integrated.
3. Using the same skillet, saute the meat mixture until cooked through, but not hard and crispy. Remove from the heat and place in a strainer to drain off the grease and juices. Set aside and let cool.

While the filling is cooling, you can assemble the ingredients... 

For the final preparation:


1 large egg, beaten

1 cup AP flour

Dash cayenne pepper


Dash salt


1 cup dry or fresh unseasoned bread crumbs or regular panko

Oil for frying (2” deep in a heavy pan, like a medium-sized dutch oven)

Forming and frying the papas:

1. Use three small bowls for the breading. In one, combine flour, cayenne and salt. In the second, a beaten egg with a tiny bit of water. Put panko or bread crumbs in the third
2. Flour your hands and scoop up a portion of dough to make a round pancake with your hands. Make a slight indentation in the middle for the filling.
3. Spoon a generous amount of filling into the center and then roll the potato closed, forming a smooth, potato-shaped casing around the filling. Repeat with all dough (you should have about 6 large papas).
4. Heat 1 ½ to 2 inches of oil in a pan to about 350 – 375° F.
5. Dip each papa in the three bowls to coat: first roll in flour, then dip in egg, then roll in bread crumbs.
6. Fry the papas (in batches if necessary) about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Flip once in the middle of frying to brown both sides.
7. Drain on paper towel and store in a 200ºF oven if frying in batches.

Serve immediately with salsa criolla and/or other sauces of your choice.

Salsa Criolla:

2 medium red onions, cut in half and very thinly sliced (as half-circles)

1/2 chili pepper 


1 tablespoon vinegar


Juice from 2 limes


Salt and pepper to taste

1. Soak the onions in cold salt water for about 10 minutes to remove bitterness. Drain.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the onions with the rest of the ingredients, season with salt and pepper.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the onions to macerate and the flavors to combine.

Note: I blanched chunks cut from 2 medium-sized carrots and 2 celery stalks and added them to the mix. That required additional liquid to cover: a 60/40 mix of water and vinegar, juice from additional limes, 1 heaping tablespoon of sugar, and a generous splash of juice from a jar of pickled jalapenos. 

Merguez Mini Meatloaves

I am in love, again - with the shiny new KitchenAid stand mixer that now resides in my kitchen. It has already stirred biscotti and Spritz cookies, kneaded pizza dough and French baguettes, and been a counter adornment. It's time to task it and me with something new, completely new, something more challenging. Something like... homemade sausage, that's a new arena.


I am not really a big fan of sausage, or hot dogs, links, meatloaf, or anything else that relies on a mixture of smooshed up mystery ingredients and fat. Besides, sausage makes me burp and the taste plays reruns for ages. That said, one of my 2010 resolutions is to master the art of sausage making. My logic is that if I can control what's in the blend, I can improve on the taste and diminish the aftereffects.


Now my KitchenAid has company, thanks to easy ordering from Amazon.com. A yet-unused meat grinder attachment, a sausage stuffer device, Bruce Aidell's Complete Sausage Book and Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie now join the crowd of must-have gadgets and cookbooks in my kitchen. Further research is needed to track down a local source for sausage casings, but I'm working on it. And I am still reading the books and finding sausage making hints, recipes and blogs online.


Lately we have been taste-testing the ingredients for Merguez sausage, using preground lamb and Italian sausage links, with a combination of interesting spices and fresh produce. I have not strayed too far from a blend of two Aidell recipes, though the resulting Merguez patties and mini meatloaves are so tasty we might never make it to the sausage stuffing stage. 

Merguez Mini Meatloaves

Adapted from Bruce Aidells’ Complete Sausage Book and Michael Ruhlman’s Charcuterie. 

1.5 LB ground lamb

1.5 LB ground turkey or chicken thighs

     or 1.5  LB mild Italian sausage (links or loose)

1/3 cup onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)
2 TB chopped garlic
1/3 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes packed in oil
2 TB olive oil from the sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 TB sweet Hungarian paprika

1 TB smoked Spanish paprika

1 TB kosher salt

1 tsp sugar

2 TB chopped fresh mint or 2 tsp dried mint

1 TB tomato paste

1 TB lemon juice

2 tsp graped lemon zest

2 tsp fennel seed, ground in spice grinder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp ground tumeric

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes

¾ cup finely chopped red bell pepper  

1  egg, beaten

Tzatziki - Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 375. Use kitchen spray to oil a pan of muffin-sized Bundt cups - you know, the ones with the cone in the middle to make a hole. No Bundt muffin pan? Substitute custard cups, large muffin tins or small ramekins - they all work.

Place the onions in a microwavable bowl, cover with water and cook just to soften. Drain, rinse with cold water to cool, and then drain again. 

Remove the casings from the sausage (if using links) and add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to blend thoroughly; don’t smoosh it heavily, just mix and mix and mix.

Fry a small, flat patty until done (no pink remaining) and taste for salt, pepper and other seasonings. Adjust as needed.

Scoop out a ½ cup or so of the mix and plop it into a prepared Bundt cup, packing lightly and leveling the top. The mix should yield six mini meatloaves, depending upon the containers and how full they are filled. Bake until you measure an internal temperature of 160 degrees, roughly 25 minutes. If the tops look too moist, briefly broil to add a crisp crust.

Remove to a heated serving plate, and serve with a side of tzatziki - cucumber and yogurt sauce.

Tzatziki

Makes 1 ¾ cups

1 English cucumber, peeled and diced into tiny chunks

1 cup Greek yogurt (plain)

2 TB lemon juice

2 TB lemon zest

1 TB fresh mint, chopped or 1 tsp dried mint

1 ½ TB fresh dill, chopped or ½ tsp dried dill

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place cucumber chunks in a strainer; add salt and toss gently. Place strainer over a bowl and let sit awhile you work on the meatloaves. You will be amazed at the quantity of liquid that drains out! Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly under cold water; drain again and wring in a clean tea towel to remove as much moisture as possible without reducing the cukes to moosh. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. The flavors will blend and intensify as they sit. The sauce will keep overnight in a covered container in the refrigerator, but will need to be used within a day or two.


We love these formed as mini loaves or as patties served with Tzatziki sauce and accompanied by sides of a Greek-style panzanella salad and lemon-roasted potatoes or lemony potato salad. A dessert of wine-poached pears with honey-flavored Greek yogurt finished the latest Merguez meal, but we ate them before I could grab a photo.

 Greek Panzanella Salad (below) and Lemony Potato Salad (above)