Llapingachos

Name: Llapingachos
Yield: Makes 16–20
Cuisine: Ecuador
Ingredients: 4 oz / 110 g hard cheese, such as Jarlsberg, Gruyère or Cheddar, grated; 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped; 2 oz / 60 g butter; 2 tbsp olive oil; salt; freshly ground black pepper; 2 lb / 900 g floury potatoes

Potato and Cheese Cakes

Preparation info

Makes
16–20

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Times Cookbook

By Frances Bissell

Published 1995

About

These come from Ecuador. We ate them frequently in La Choza, a lovely restaurant in Quito. Serve these small ones as hot appetizers to accompany drinks.

Ingredients

2 lb / 900 g floury potatoes
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method

Peel, boil and mash the potatoes with salt, pepper and half the butter. Fry the onion in half the olive oil until soft and golden. Allow to cool slightly, and then mix with the cheese. Form the potato into small patties, and bury some of the cheese and onion mixture in the centre. Heat the remaining butter and olive oil in a frying pan, and fry the potato cakes on both sides until golden brown.