Papa a la Huancaína (Huancayo-Style Potatoes)

  • 12 Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, or to taste
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 6 chile peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
  • 1 pound cream cheese, softened
  • 1 pound queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese), crumbled
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ⅓ cup evaporated milk
  • 8 leaves lettuce
  • 4 large hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthwise
  • 8 black olives, pitted and halved

Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Cook chile peppers in boiling water until soft, about 5 minutes. Run chiles under cold water until cool enough to handle; remove and discard skins. Add onion, chile peppers, cream cheese, queso fresco, vegetable oil, salt, garlic, and black pepper to a blender; blend until smooth. Stream evaporated milk into blended mixture with the blender on until sauce is creamy. Arrange 1 lettuce leaf onto each of 8 plates. Halve potatoes and arrange 3 halves onto each lettuce leaf. Pour sauce over potatoes. Top each serving with an egg half and 2 olive halves.

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