Causa limeña

Name: Causa limeña
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Peru
Ingredients: 800 g yellow-fleshed potatoes; 3 tbsp ají amarillo paste; 2 limes, juiced; 4 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp salt; 2 ripe avocados, sliced; 200 g hearts of palm, drained and shredded; 4 tbsp vegan mayonnaise; 12 pitted black olives (botija if you can find them); 1 small red onion, finely chopped; Fresh coriander, to serve

A chilled terrine of yellow potato whipped with ají amarillo and lime, layered with avocado, olives and a creamy hearts of palm filling.

VeganGluten-free#potato#cold starter#avocado#chilli#peru

Photo : No machine-readable author provided. Manuel González Olaechea assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 55 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Medium

Method

Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes until tender. Peel while still hot and pass through a potato ricer.
Add the ají amarillo paste, lime juice, oil and salt. Work it by hand into a smooth, bright yellow, pliable mash. Cool completely.
Mix the shredded hearts of palm with the vegan mayonnaise, red onion, a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime.
Line a loaf tin with cling film. Press half the potato mixture into the base in an even layer.
Arrange the avocado slices on top, then spread over the hearts of palm filling. Cover with the remaining potato and smooth the surface.
Chill for at least 1 hour. Turn out, decorate with olives and coriander, and serve cold in thick slices.

Causa can also be shaped into individual portions with a ring mould. Ají amarillo, a fruity and only mildly hot yellow chilli, is sold as a paste in Latin American grocers and gives the potato its golden colour.

Nutrition · per serving

Calories: 512 kcal
Protein: 8.7 g
Fat: 32.9 g
Carbohydrate: 52.4 g
Fibre: 12.9 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Why mash the potatoes while they are still hot?

Hot potatoes go through a ricer without lumps and take up the oil, lime and ají properly. Once cold, the starch tightens and the mash turns gluey as soon as you work it. Chilling comes after the seasoning, never before.

My terrine collapses when I turn it out. What went wrong?

The mash needs to be firm and pliable rather than wet; waterlogged potatoes or too much oil will stop it holding. Line the tin with cling film, press each layer down firmly, and give it at least an hour in the fridge before unmoulding.

What can replace the hearts of palm in the filling?

Their job is to bring soft, stringy flesh bound with mayonnaise. Sliced mushrooms, pan-fried and cooled, or avocado mashed with the red onion, do the same work. Whatever you use, drain it well so it does not soak the mash.

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