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1
Boil the Potatoes
15 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Put the potato cubes in a pot, cover with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes until a knife slides through a cube with no resistance. Drain well and leave them in the hot pot for 2 minutes so the steam dries them out.
Dry potatoes make firm dough; wet potatoes make dough that falls apart in the pan.
Done when: Potato cubes tender all the way through, dry and steaming.
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2
Mash, Season and Stuff the Patties
20 Mins
No cooking heat; work at room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Mash the hot potatoes smooth with a potato masher — no lumps. Stir in the onion cooked in annatto oil, the salt and the cumin. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Flatten each ball in your palm, place a spoon of crumbled cheese in the centre, fold the dough over it and seal it, then flatten gently into a cake about 2 cm thick.
Seal the cheese in completely: any gap is an escape route, and melted cheese in hot oil spits.
Done when: Eight even cakes, smooth on the outside, cheese fully hidden inside.
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3
Fry the Patties Golden
10 Mins
Hot oil, 175°C (350°F)
Heat the remaining annatto oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry the patties in batches, 4 minutes per side, until they are deep golden and crisp. Do not crowd the pan, and turn them only once — moving them too much breaks the crust. Drain on paper.
One turn only: the crust sets in the first minutes, and every extra flip risks a crack and a cheese leak.
Done when: Patties deep golden and crisp outside, hot and gooey inside.
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4
Make the Peanut Sauce
5 Mins
Low heat, about 80°C (175°F)
Whisk the peanut butter with the milk in a small pan over low heat until smooth and pourable, about 3 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt. Add a spoon of water if it is too thick — it should ribbon off the spoon.
Low heat only: peanut butter scorches fast, and a burnt sauce cannot be saved.
Done when: Sauce smooth, glossy and pourable, with no lumps.
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5
Fry the Eggs and Serve
10 Mins
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F); eggs cooked until the whites are set
Fry the eggs sunny-side up in a little oil, about 3 minutes, until the whites are fully set and the yolks are still runny. Serve two patties per plate over the hot rice, spoon over the peanut sauce, and top each plate with a fried egg and a little salad.
Set whites, runny yolks: the yolk is a second sauce, so do not cook it through.
Done when: Eggs with set whites and runny yolks; patties hot, crisp and golden on the plate.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve it at once, while the patties are still crisp and the cheese is still molten — llapingacho waits for no one, and a cold patty is a sad one.
Ecuador
30m
