Peruvian Style Stuffed Potatoes

Place the whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and cook on medium-high heat until the potatoes are tender, around 25 to 30 minutes.

Next, peel the potatoes while still hot and crush them using a potato masher or a fork. Add salt and pepper, and mix well. Afterwards, cover the potatoes with a cloth while preparing the filling.

In a frying pan, heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for seven minutes or until the onion looks transparent. Incorporate the panca pepper paste into the mix, if you are using it, and add the tomato paste. Cook for four minutes, then add-in the ground beef, salt and pepper. Stir well and cover with a lid.

Lower the heat and continue cooking while covered for 15 more minutes. Add 1/2 cup water if you think it’s necessary, to make sure that the filling remains juicy. Next, stir-in the hard boiled eggs, raisins, black olives and parsley. Immediately turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

With floured hands, knead the mashed potatoes for a few seconds. Take a portion of mashed potatoes and form a ball first. Then flatten the ball in your hand to make a thick “tortilla” that is a bit hollow in the center.

In the center of the section, add a portion of the meat filling. Close the “tortilla” as if it was an empanada and give it an oval shape. Dip each filled potato in the beaten eggs and roll in the flour, shaking off any access powder.

Heat the remaining 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a sautée pan and fry the stuffed potatoes, turning over every four minutes or until completely golden-brown. They should have a fine crispy surface when finished. Let any excess oil drain-off over a paper towel and serve hot with the prepared salsa criolla.