Papas chorreadas is a delicious Colombian specialty. Boiled red potatoes are smothered in a rich cheese sauce seasoned with onions and tomatoes. The verb chorrear means to flow or pour - the sauce in this dish is meant to be "gushing" over the potatoes.
The simplest form of this dish has only six ingredients: red potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cream, and a melting cheese like mozzarella. Many recipes call for scallions, cilantro, cumin, or chile peppers - feel free to experiment with flavors. Although not traditional, a garnish of crumbled bacon seems like a good idea.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 pounds red potatoes
- 3 shallots or 1 small white onion
- 1 bunch scallions
- 1 teaspoon chile powder (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3/4 cup cream
- 6 ounces whole milk mozzarella, or other salted white cheese that melts well
Preparation:
- Scrub the potatoes and place in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Boil until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain potatoes and let cool slightly.
- Finely chop the shallots or onion. Chop the white part and a inch or two of the green part of the scallions into 1/2 inch lengths. Finely chop the rest of the green parts of the scallion and reserve for a garnish.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet. Sauté the 1/2-inch pieces of scallion, the shallots, the cumin, and the chile powder in the butter until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes and cilantro, and cook until the tomatoes are soft and fragrant. Add the tablespoon of flour and stir briefly.
- Stir in the cream and cheese, and heat until sauce just comes to a boil and cheese is mostly melted. Remove from heat.
- Slice potatoes into halves or wedges, and arrange potatoes onto a platter. Pour sauce over potatoes. Garnish with chopped green onion.
Serves 4-6 people as a main dish
