Papa a la Huancaína

Boiled yellow potato sliced into thick rounds, draped in a creamy sauce of ají amarillo, fresh cheese (queso fresco or feta), evaporated milk, crackers or saltine biscuits as a thickener, and a touch of garlic, served cold over a bed of lettuce with sliced hard-boiled egg and a black olive on top. A starter or light meal in the Andean tradition, named for the Huancayo region. The signature is the contrast of the cool starchy potato against the bright yellow ají-amarillo-and-cheese sauce: substantial dairy fat from the milk-and-cheese, fruity-warm chilli depth from ají amarillo, and the cracker thickener giving the sauce a particular silky-grainy texture distinctive to the dish. Cold, mild to moderate heat, gently rich, savoury rather than sweet.