Llapingachos (Ecuadorian cheesy potato patties with eggs)
Golden potato patties with a melty cheese center, served with fried eggs, avocado and a zingy tomato and onion salsa, the way it’s done in Ecuador.
- 60 min total
- 45 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $2.59 a serving
- 610 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 lb russet potatoes
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 1 avocado, sliced
From your pantry
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 pinch ground turmeric
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 610 calories, 22 g protein, 53 g carbs and 36 g fat, and costs about $2.59 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No russet potatoes? Yukon Gold potatoes work.
- No yellow onions? White onions work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No queso fresco? Cotija cheese or feta cheese works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
- No red onions? White onions work.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the potatoes and cut them into chunks. them in salted water over high heat until very tender, about 15 minutes, then well.
Peel. Peeling means removing the skin with a vegetable peeler or a small knife. It takes off tough or bitter skins, though potato and carrot skins are fine to leave on unless the recipe insists.
How you’ll know: The color underneath is even all over, with no patches of skin left behind.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 15 min
Meanwhile, cook the onion in the butter with the paprika and turmeric in a small over medium heat until soft, about 4 minutes.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 4 min
Mash the potatoes with the onion butter and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth. Let them cool 10 minutes, until you can handle them.
Timer: 10 min
Mix the two cheeses.
Divide the potato into 8 balls, flatten each, press a spoonful of cheese into the middle and close the potato around it.
Food safety: If you’re pregnant, buy queso fresco labeled “made with pasteurized milk,” and for extra care, warm it until it’s steaming hot.
Flatten into ¾-inch patties and chill 15 minutes.
Timer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: Wet your hands a little so the potato doesn’t stick. Chilling helps them hold together in the pan.the tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, cilantro and of salt in a bowl for the salsa.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick over medium heat. Fry the patties in batches until deep , 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Flip them only once, gently, with a wide spatula. A good crust holds them together.Add the rest of the oil, crack in the eggs, cover and cook until the whites are set and the yolks begin to , 3 to 4 minutes.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Serve 2 patties per plate with an egg, the avocado and the salsa.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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