Papas Rellenas – Mediterranean version

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 250 g minced meat
• 200 g olives
• 1 large onion(s)
• 3 cloves garlic
• some olive oil
• Salt
• chili powder
• 1 tsp sambal oelek
• Herbs of Provence
• 200 g sheep’s cheese
• 2 tbsp flour
• Fat, for frying
• Flour , for editing

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Peruvian stuffed potato dumplings

Dough: Cook the potatoes in plenty of salted water until tender. Drain through a sieve and return to the pot. Return to the hot stovetop and allow to steam thoroughly. Mash the potatoes with a masher, mix in 1 egg, and add salt if desired. Let cool. Filling: Fry the diced onion in oil, add the chopped garlic, and add the minced meat until crumbly. Thinly slice the olives, crumble the feta cheese, and add them. Season the minced meat with salt, Provençal herbs, and chili to taste. Add 1 teaspoon of sambal oelek and mix everything well. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Knead the potato mixture with 2 tablespoons of flour using your hands. It should be a firm, rather dry mixture. Divide the potato mixture into 4 portions. Form each portion into a dumpling and press it together to form a flatbread. Place a few tablespoons of the filling in the center of the flatbread. Fold the flatbread like an omelet and knead the edges to seal, completely enclosing the filling, and forming an oval shape. Preheat the fryer to 180°C (350°F). Remove the fryer basket. Beat 1 egg and set aside some flour. Coat the potato dumplings in flour, then brush with the beaten egg. Carefully lower the dumplings into the frying oil with a slotted spoon; they should be completely coated. Fry the dumplings for about 4-5 minutes until light brown. Remove them from the frying oil with a slotted spoon. Serve with coleslaw and ajvar. You can also make papas rellanas in advance and freeze them. To do this, remove the dumplings from the fryer after 2 minutes (just fry them). Once cooled, freeze them, and then thaw them and fry them for another 2-3 minutes in the fryer. In the Peruvian original, the minced meat is seasoned with cumin and raisins are added, but no feta cheese.