See that little bag of potatoes? I bought those on my very first trip to the market the day we arrived in Cuenca. I like potatoes, but not enough to go through the hassle of peeling and cutting them up. If I’m honest, I mostly like French fries and those are a pain to make. Alas, I married an Irishman, and he loves potatoes, all kinds of potatoes, and I know he wishes I would make them more often.
When I saw that bag of potatoes I thought to myself, oh, those look like baby Yukon gold, they’ll be easy to boil up and dress with a little butter and parsley, no peeling or cutting needed. Steven would love that, I thought, so I snagged ’em.
Days later, they were still sitting on the kitchen counter, looking at me, because now they were starting to grow little eyes. Our friends Kelly and Bill were making something for dinner, I forget what, so I thought I’d add the boiled potatoes as a side and threw a pot of water on the stove. I added the potatoes and let them cook.
A few minutes later I looked at the pot and lo and behold, about half of those little taters had literally melted, completely fallen to mush, thickening the boiling water to the consistency of potato soup. They had been on the burner for just a few minutes, so I definitely had not overcooked them. Kelly looked at them and the two of us tasted the mush (and it was gooood!). Steven tasted the mush and loved it. But for some reason, we decided since there were still a few whole ones in there, we drained the mushy liquid and tried to salvage the dish. No go. We ended up mashing the remaining potatoes and each had about two tablespoons for dinner. Live and learn.
Although we did not know this at the time, it turns out that Ecuadorians love potato soup, in fact, it is one of their staple dishes served daily even in the summer. Known as Locro de Papa, I decided to add this soup to our cooking list of Ecuadorian dishes we wanted to make and sample. As we went on our day trips to sights in and around Cuenca, we would end the tour with lunch. Locro de Papa was almost always on the menu, so we got to try it before we made our own. It is pretty delicious, warming and filling. Below is the recipe, it’s very easy, so I hope you’ll give it a try!
Locro de Papa (Ecuadorian Potato Soup)
Ingredients:
4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon achiote or annatto powder (for color, optional)
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 cup queso fresco or mild cheese, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
Avocado slices (for garnish)
Instructions:
In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent.
Add the minced garlic, ground cumin, and achiote powder (if using). Stir well and cook for an additional 2 minutes until the spices are fragrant.
Add the diced potatoes to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the vegetable or chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes).
Once the potatoes are cooked, use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to partially mash some of the potatoes in the pot, creating a thicker consistency.
Add the milk and cubed queso fresco to the pot. Stir well and simmer for a few minutes.
Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the consistency by adding more milk or broth if needed.
Serve hot, garnished with chopped fresh cilantro and avocado slices.
Locro de Papa is often enjoyed with a spicy yellow pepper and tree tomato sauce called aji sauce. There is hardly a table of in all of Ecuador that doesn’t have a dish of aji sauce on it. And there are as many different versions as there are tables. I am not a spicy sauce person, but even I loved it!
Up next: Chicken and Rice, Ecuador style.
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I’m salivating just thinking about that soup. What a great time we had cooking and visiting!
We miss having you guys to cook with! We have been living off of soup made from this chicken stock, no potatoes, but with avocado and chicken. So good! 🙂
Looks delicious! Cooking together can be so much fun as long as you can stay on point with a recipe. The older I get, the harder it is for me not to get distracted, with potential recipe failure as a consequence.
I’m also one of those people for whom cilantro tastes like soap, so I have to offer it on the side when called for in a recipe.
We got easily distracted, apparently. But the food was good! I’ve read that some folks with that reaction to cilantro can tolerate the stuff grown in Ecuador. I love it, and so happy it doesn’t taste like soap!
Love potato soup! Mine is sans lait due to an allergy but it’s then easier to serve hot or cold. Yours looks terrific. Thanks for sharing, Sissy!
So no queso fresco, either? That said, Ecuador doesn’t really do good cheese. I am so looking forward to returning to France!! Good bread and cheese, I can’t wait! 🙂
Hey Linda! I’m not much of a cook, but thought even I could pull off this potato soup recipe. And I did yesterday! It was delicious. I used Monterey Jack cheese and opted out of the spice for color. Next time I’ll add more potatoes. Definitely sharing this recipe around along with the story of your travels. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you, Judy! This makes me so happy that you tried the recipe and then took the time to tell me about it! I think it is delicious, too! And so easy!
Love the potato mush story :-))) I’m making a list of recipes to cook “with you” when you’re back in the states!
I enjoy your blogs so much and am wondering if you guys are ok…it’s been a while since your last post. Hope everything’s ok…
Thank you for checking in on us, Chris! We are fine, just knee-deep into the process of packing up Bijou to return to the US and it has been quite the chore! We are beginning to see daylight, though, so hope to get a new post up soon!