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1
Boil the Potatoes Until Tender
25 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Put the whole unpeeled potatoes in a large pan, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a rolling boil. Cook for 20–25 minutes until a knife slides in easily. Drain, peel while warm, and slice into thick rounds about 1 cm thick. Leave to cool.
Start the potatoes first — everything else takes less time, and the sauce is best made while they cool.
Done when: A knife slides through with no resistance; slices hold their shape.
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2
Toast the Peanuts
5 Mins
Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
Toast the peanuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until they smell nutty and take on a little colour. Tip them out and leave to cool.
Toasting is what gives ocopa its roasted backbone — raw peanuts make a flat, pale sauce.
Done when: Peanuts smell toasted and nutty, with a few golden spots.
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3
Fry the Onion, Garlic and Ají
8 Mins
Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
Heat the oil in the same pan and fry the onion for 4–5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and the ají amarillo paste and fry for 2–3 minutes more, stirring, until the paste darkens a shade and smells fragrant.
Frying the ají paste in oil wakes up its flavour and takes the raw edge off the chilli.
Done when: Onion is soft and sweet; the paste is fragrant and a shade darker.
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4
Blend the Green Sauce
5 Mins
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Put the fried onion mixture in a blender with the toasted peanuts, queso fresco, evaporated milk, huacatay leaves, crackers and salt. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides once. Add a splash of milk if it is too thick — it should pour in a slow ribbon and coat a spoon.
Blend longer than you think — a grainy sauce is the one fault ocopa cannot hide.
Done when: Sauce is smooth, creamy and pale green, thick enough to coat a spoon.
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5
Plate the Potatoes and Sauce
5 Mins
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Lay the lettuce leaves on four plates. Arrange the potato slices over the lettuce, spoon the green sauce generously over the top, and garnish each plate with egg quarters, tomato wedges and black olives.
Sauce the potatoes just before serving so the sauce stays bright green and glossy.
Done when: Each plate has a neat bed of potatoes under a generous ladle of green sauce.
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6
Rest and Serve Cool
10 Mins
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Leave the plated ocopa to settle for 10 minutes so the sauce sinks into the warm potatoes and the flavours marry. Serve cool or at room temperature, about 421 g per person, as a starter.
Ocopa is a starter, not a side — serve it first, while everyone is still hungry.
Done when: Potatoes are cool, sauce is settled, and the plate looks like a picantería serving.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the ocopa cool, the green sauce glossy over the potatoes, with egg, tomato and olives around the plate — and a piece of crusty bread to chase the last of the sauce.
Peru
35m
