Salchipapas is what we always hoped our moms would make for dinner when we were kids.
The name comes from salchichas (sausages or hot dogs) and papas (potatoes) that are fried up together and served with a splatter-paint mess of mustard, mayo, ketchup, and ají amarillo sauce squeezed on top. It’s straight out of Lima’s street food culture and eventually landed in home kitchens all over South America.
You don’t really need a recipe to make salchipapas. Just slice up hot dogs or sausages and quickly deep-fry them in hot oil with a couple handfuls of cooked french fries, then pile plenty of your favorite condiments on top. The potatoes can be anything from the average fast-food fries to giant steak frites, depending on which street vendor, home cook, or restaurant serves your order.
If you want to make what I call a “fancy” version, try this recipe. Use good-quality sausages and confit baby potatoes in olive oil so the potatoes almost melt on the inside when you bite through the crunchy skin. Even still, this is not the time to worry about making the meal look pretty. Serve the salchipapas with good mustard and any spicy aiolis (see page 38) or whatever other condiments you have around. You could serve the condiments alongside, but making a big mess with the flavorful sauces is part of the fun. After cooking, let the confit potatoes cool completely in the oil, at least 1 hour. It helps them hold together when fried.
1 Put 1 pound scrubbed and rinsed baby fingerling potatoes, as small as you can find, in a medium saucepan and cover the potatoes completely with olive oil. Add 3 or 4 cloves garlic, 1 leafy sprig fresh thyme, and 1 bay leaf and heat the oil over medium heat until just warm to the touch. Reduce the heat to very low, and cook the potatoes very slowly until tender when pierced with a knife but the potatoes still hold together. The cooking process could take up to 1 hour, depending on the size of the potatoes; start checking the potatoes after 30 to 40 minutes. Don’t let the oil simmer (reduce the heat if needed). Let the potatoes cool completely in the oil, at least 1 hour. Drain the potatoes and save the oil for frying, or transfer the potatoes and the confit oil to a food storage container, cover, and refrigerate for up to 5 days before frying. Let come to room temperature before continuing.
2 Heat a large sauté pan and pour in the reserved olive oil in which you cooked the potatoes. You should have a solid inch or more of oil; if not, add a little more. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot, a good 2 minutes, add 3 to 4 fully cooked, cured sausages, sliced on an angle into meaty 1-inch chunks. Deep-fry the sausages and potatoes for 1 to 2 minutes, until both turn golden brown in spots.
3 Pile the sausage and fried potatoes on a big serving platter and season them with salt and pepper. Spoon or drizzle plenty of ají amarillo aioli (page 38), Dijon-style mustard, rocoto aioli (page 38), Salsa Criolla (page 44), or whatever condiments you want all over everything, or serve the condiments alongside.
Serves about 4