Peruvian Potato Salad (Papas a la Huancaina)

Shake up your potato salad game with Papas a la Huancaina, a Peruvian potato salad with a flavorful cheese sauce that can be made with ingredients from any grocery store.

What is Papas a la Huancaina?

Papas a la Huancaina is a traditional Peruvian potato salad, named after the Huancayo region of central Peru. It consists of boiled, sliced potatoes smothered in a unique and flavorful cheese sauce. It can be served an an appetizer or side dish.

I first started making it about a decade ago, when I worked at a food magazine. I was assigned the task of developing a Papas a la Huancaina recipe that could be made with ingredients from an American grocery store.

I tested this dozens of time before it was published, in order to get the ratio of potatoes to sauce correct, as well as make sure the cheesy habañero-infused sauce was pleasantly warm, but not too spicy for the average diner.

The recipe below is the result of many months of work, and dozens of tests. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

What is Papa a la Huancaina made of?

• potatoes – yellow potatoes are what we want for this dish, because they cook up creamy but hold their shape well when boiled.
• queso fresco – the primary ingredient in the Huancaina sauce.
• lime juice – adds a touch of acidity to balance the richness of the cheese in the sauce.
• garlic – just one clove will give the sauce great depth of flavor.
• evaporated milk – this thins the sauce to a pourable consistency and adds a slight sweeteness.
• olive oil – adds richness to the sauce.
• habañero pepper – we’re using just a half of a pepper (and none of the seeds or membranes) to provide the sauce with its characteristic heat.
• salt – for seasoning the potato cooking water and the sauce.
• lettuce – used as a bed for the potatoes for serving.
• hard-boiled eggs – a traditional garnish that adds a contrasting texture.
• black olives – another traditional garnish that adds a briny flavor.
• chives – an optional garnish that adds a mild onion flavor and touch of color.

How to Make Papa a la Huancaina

1. BOIL. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover them with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are just tender. Drain and allow the potatoes to cool slightly.

2. SAUCE. While the potatoes are cooking, make the sauce by blending the lime juice, garlic, queso fresco, evaporated milk, oil, habanero and salt in a food processor or blender until smooth.

3. ARRANGE. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large serving platter. Peel the potatoes, slice them and arrange them over the lettuce.

4. FINISH. Pour the sauce over the potatoes. Garnish the dish with the eggs, olives and chives.

How to serve Peruvian Potatoes

Papas a la Huancaina can be served chilled, at room temperature or just ever so slightly warm (so, by the time you drain the potatoes and allow them to cool enough to slice them, they’ll be at a good temperature).

The traditional way to serve this Peruvian potato dish is to arrange the sliced potatoes over lettuce leaves, then pour the sauce over the potatoes. Traditional garnishes are a FEW slices of hard boiled egg and black olives, but not too many (but if you want to add more, be my guest).

This dish makes a great appetizer or side dish for grilled meats or fish, like flat iron steak or grilled sockeye salmon.

Or, serve it as part of a larger spread of Peruvian dishes, such as lomo saltado or pollo a la brasa.

Papa a la Huancaina Recipe storage

If you have leftovers, transfer them to a storage container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days.