Best Llapingachos Potato Cakes Filled With Cheese Recipes

LLAPINGACHOS OR ECUADORIAN STUFFED POTATO PATTIES

Steps:

• Boil the potatoes until soft.
• Heat the oil over medium high heat to make a refrito, add the onions and achiote, cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
• Mash the potatoes, mix in the onion refrito and salt to taste.
• Cover the potato dough and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour.
• Make small golf size balls with the potato dough.
• Make a hole in the middle of each ball and fill with the grated or crumbled cheese.
• Shape the dough into thick patties and let rest in the refrigerator for about ½ to 1 hour.
• Cook the patties on a hot griddle until browned on each side, be careful when turning them as they will be very delicate.
• Serve with a fried egg, peanut sauce, tomato and onion curtido, avocado slices and hot sauce.

LLAPINGACHOS (POTATO CAKES STUFFED WITH CHEESE)

Steps:

• Boil the potatoes and mash (You may also use leftover mashed potatoes made without milk and butter).
• Sautee onion in oil until soft, remove from pan and add to mashed potatoes.
• When the potaotoes have cooled down beat the egg yolk and mix in to the potatoes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Form into equal sized balls and poke a hole in the middle of each ball stuffing each hole with cheese. Seal.
• Flatten each ball in to patties and chill for 30 minutes (This makes them less likely to spread when frying).
• Add oil to a medium hot frying pan and sautee until golden and crispy outside and heated thoughout.
• note: You can also just mix the shredded cheese in to the potato mixture but I like the gooey 'surprise' in the middle.
• Queso Blanco is the traditional cheese used but Monteray Jack or mozzarella may be substituted.
• Prep time does not include chilling time.
• Cooking time will depend on the size of your pan and number of batches being made. 5 minutes per side seems to do the job.

LLAPINGACHOS (ECUADOREAN POTATO PANCAKES WITH CHEESE SAUCE)

Steps:

• Peel and dice potatoes.
• Boil in salted water until very tender.
• Save ½ deciliter (about 1/4 cup) of the boiling water.
• Mash potatoes evenly and add boiling water, turmeric/annatto and chopped onion.
• Salt to taste.
• Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for at least three hours.
• Prepare cheese sauce while mash is resting.
• CHEESE SAUCE: Mix chopped red onion well with salt and leave for 20 minutes.
• Rinse onion in cold water, then add lemon juice and sugar.
• Chop tomato and eggs finely.
• Put cream cheese in a pot, and add milk until the sauce is like thin mayonnaise.
• Heat slowly.
• Stir in tomato, eggs and onion, plus salt and pepper to taste--I add a little extra lemon juice as well to take some of the"heaviness" out of the sauce.
• Serve at room temperature or warm, not hot.
• While sauce is cooling, add mozzarella to potato mix.
• Roll the"dough" into small balls by hand, wetting your hands a little between each.
• Flatten balls into patties approximately.
• 1 cm thick and 6 cm in diameter.
• Brush pan with oil (not too much) and fry at medium heat until crisp and golden.
• Brush upside of each pancake with oil before flipping the cakes VERY GENTLY.
• Don't undercook, or they'll fall apart.
• Serve hot and fresh with cheese sauce and a salad.

LLAPINGACHOS-POTATO CHEESE PATTIES(ECUADOR)

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with salted water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Cook the potatoes until a knife pierces them easily. Drain the potatoes and set them aside to steam dry for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Mash the potatoes until smooth or put them through a ricer. Season to taste with salt. When cool enough, form 1/3 cup portions of the mashed potatoes into balls and set on a baking sheet. Chill for at least 20 minutes; this will make the patties much easier to handle.
• While the potatoes are chilling, start your maní sauce. Simmer the milk and sliced onion in a small saucepan for about 10 minutes. Do not boil. Strain the onions from the milk and discard. Whisk the peanut butter into the warm milk and season to taste with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. The sauce should be the consistency of heavy cream. Add a little more milk or peanut butter as needed. Set aside.
• Remove potatoes from the refrigerator. Mix the cheese and scallions together and stuff each ball with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Flatten the balls with your hands to form patties.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the patties, a few at a time, until browned on each side. Remove to a warm oven until all patties have been sautéed. Serve topped with the salsa de maní.
• Llapingachos Variations:.
• •Coloring: The achiote powder gives the patties an orange color. If you don't have achiote, add a teaspoon or two of paprika. Or just leave it out altogether.
• •Cheese: Ecuadorans typically use a young white cheese called queso blanco for stuffing llapingachos, but you can use Monterey jack or mozzarella.
• •Use finely minced white onion instead of scallions.
• •Mix the cheese and scallions in with the potatoes instead of stuffing them.
• •Add a little cayenne pepper or hot pepper sauce to the to the peanut sauce if you'd like some heat. Or add a little ground cumin for extra flavor.