Causa rellena is a famous Peruvian dish. It's made with mashed yellow potatoes, seasoned with aji peppers and lime, which surround a center of chicken salad, crab salad, or tuna salad. It's always beautifully presented, garnished with black olives, hard boiled eggs, and avocado. Causa is a summer dish, and often prepared in a mold, then sliced to serve.
In this appetizer version, little bite size balls of mashed yellow potatoes have a hidden center of chicken salad.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 8 yellow potatoes (about 1 pound)
- 3 fresh yellow chile peppers
- 3 limes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
- 2 gloves garlic
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- 1 ripe avocado
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Black olives for decoration
- 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
Preparation:
- Cook the potatoes in salted water until soft. Peel and mash the potatoes, and set aside. Run the potatoes through a ricer so that they are extra smooth, with no lunps.
- Remove the seeds from the chili peppers, and saute them in vegetable oil with the garlic until softened. Place them in a food processor or blender, along with the juice of the 3 limes, and salt/pepper to taste. Process until smooth. Stir lime/chile mixture into the mashed potatoes. Chill potatoes, uncovered for several hours or overnight.
- Poach the chicken in water seasoned with salt, pepper. Shred the cooked chicken, and mix with the mayonnaise and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to use.
- To shape mini causas, take about 1 tablespoon of mashed potato in the palm of your hand. Flatten the potatoes, and add about 1 teaspoon of the chicken salad to the middle. Cover chicken with a little bit more of potato, then roll it all into a smooth ball.
- Roll balls in chopped parsley, and serve on a plate garnished with avocado slices and black olives. Chill until ready to serve.
