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Potatoes Stuffed with Ropa Vieja

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  • Prep 60 min
  • Total 3 hr 0 min
  • Ingredients 23
  • Servings 6
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My mom made the best ropa vieja in the country, or at least it was to me. She simply called it “shredded meat” and it was one of my favorite dishes. For a long time I wouldn't dare to try to prepare this recipe because it looked extremely difficult and complicated to prepare, until I discovered how simple it could be if you started the process a day in advance. That's how I started to experiment with this dish, fusing it with Peruvian recipes, like these stuffed potatoes for example. They result being very delicious when filled with juicy and substantial stuffing. Our stuffed potatoes are almost like a Salvadoran pupusa, a lot of work at first, but when you've got the technique under control, there's nothing simpler. Normally they're served on a dish of hot appetizers to snack on, but I love serving it as a main dish, sometimes with rice and always with criolla sauce. To organize myself from the very beginning, I cook the meat a day in advance. When it’s nice and soft, I let it cool completely right where it was cooked, but in the refrigerator. The next day I remove the layer of grease that formed on the surface, I heat it a little and I begin to shred it to then cook it in a delicious sauce so that it comes out juicy and well seasoned. If you want to learn how to make my stuffed potatoes, I'd tell you that these only take salt and pepper. The idea is to create a frame for the filling to cause and explosion of flavor. How do you like to stuff your potatoes?
by Morena Cuadra
Updated Sep 11, 2015
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Ingredients

Ropa vieja filling

  • 1 1/2 lb of skirt steak
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 white onion
  • 2 sprigs of mint
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of oil
  • 1 white onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 can of tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of dry oregano
  • 2 tablespoons of capers

For the potatoes

  • 1 1/2 lbs of white potatoes
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 eggs, lightly whipped
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 cup of vegetable oil

Salsa criolla

  • 1 red onion, cut into thin strips
  • 2 tablespoons of yellow aji in strips
  • 2 tablespoons of thickly chopped parsley
  • Juice from 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  •  
    1
    Place the meat in a pot with enough water to cover it and cook at medium heat; let the boiling water bubble from time to time. After an hour, add the garlic, an onion, the mint, salt and pepper and let cook until the meat is so soft you can cut it with a fork. Let cool in the same broth.
  •  
    2
    Remove the meat from the broth with your fingertips or with the help of a fork, shred it, removing the skin and some of the bones you might find. Set aside.
  •  
    3
    Separately, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, and then add the onion and pepper. Let cook while stirring from time to time until the vegetables are very soft. Add the tomato sauce, cumin, oregano and the shredded meat. Let boil, lower the heat and cook on low for 20-30 minutes. Finally, adjust the seasoning and add the capers.
  •  
    4
    To prepare the potatoes, cook in enough water to cover it until they're soft. Peel and pass through a potato masher. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a clean cloth and let cool.
  •  
    5
    To create the stuffed potatoes, knead the potatoes. Take a portion, about 3/4 cup, and mash to form a tortilla the size of your hand but not too thin, like 1/2 inch thick. Add a few tablespoons of stuffing in the center and seal the potato creating something like an empanada. Seal well and press softly. Repeat with all the potatoes.
  •  
    6
    Dip each empanada in the whipped egg and flour. Heat the oil in a pan and fry, flipping from time to time, until they've browned on all side and develop crust on the edges.
  •  
    7
    For the criolla sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
  •  
    8
    Serve two potatoes per person and serve with criolla sauce.

Expert Tips

  • tip 1
    You can use just yucca instead of potatoes.
  • tip 2
    You can fill with chicken or vegetables.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

  • My mom made the best ropa vieja in the country, or at least it was to me. She simply called it “shredded meat” and it was one of my favorite dishes. For a long time I wouldn't dare to try to prepare this recipe because it looked extremely difficult and complicated to prepare, until I discovered how simple it could be if you started the process a day in advance. That's how I started to experiment with this dish, fusing it with Peruvian recipes, like these stuffed potatoes for example. They result being very delicious when filled with juicy and substantial stuffing. Our stuffed potatoes are almost like a Salvadoran pupusa, a lot of work at first, but when you've got the technique under control, there's nothing simpler. Normally they're served on a dish of hot appetizers to snack on, but I love serving it as a main dish, sometimes with rice and always with criolla sauce. To organize myself from the very beginning, I cook the meat a day in advance. When it’s nice and soft, I let it cool completely right where it was cooked, but in the refrigerator. The next day I remove the layer of grease that formed on the surface, I heat it a little and I begin to shred it to then cook it in a delicious sauce so that it comes out juicy and well seasoned. If you want to learn how to make my stuffed potatoes, I'd tell you that these only take salt and pepper. The idea is to create a frame for the filling to cause and explosion of flavor. How do you like to stuff your potatoes?
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