Llapingachos - Ecuadorian Cheese-Stuffed Potato Pancakes
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I’ve never had Ecuadorian food, but when I stumbled across some potato pancakes that were stuffed with cheese, I knew I had to have them!
I personally love all sorts of crispy potato snacks and this one is no different. You really can’t go wrong with potatoes stuffed with cheese, however, this one is a bit unique. Namely, the cheese, queso cortija is almost like feta when cold, but warmed, cooked inside the potato, it turns soft, and creamy. Sort of like paneer which adds such a nice flavour to it. Usually something that’s creamy and stretchy like queso blanco would be used for this recipe, I quite enjoyed this variation to it.
As I mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, having a theme can give you lots of inspiration to try new recipes when you’re stumped on what to make! All things potato is certainly an excellent theme to have! You get a two-in-one with is llapingachos recipe because Ecuador sure was a destination unseen for me, but now it is not! You can explore Ecuador cooking with these fun potato snack as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge, which you’ll also receive by signing up for my newsletter!
To get all the details on how to make the perfect llapingachos at home and to grasp all the concepts mentioned in this recipe, then be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this post! If you’re not already, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to hit the bell button so that you don’t miss when I upload all of my video recipes! I love sharing the video recipes to go along with my written ones to guarantee your success! Let’s get cooking!
What are Llapingachos?
Llapingachos (pronounced yah-peen-GAH-chos) are crispy cheese-stuffed potatoes that are made with some mashed potatoes and onions (or shallots, like here!), and stuffed with cheese, then shallow-fried to a crispy perfection!
Typically, you serve Llapingachos with a peanut sauce, but you could also serve with Salsa Criolla, Chimichurri Sauce, or even Guacamole!
tips for The Most delicious Llapingachos
Pack the patties tightly as you shape them to ensure that they don’t break while cooking.
Make sure you give the stuff potato portions the full time to chill in the fridge, otherwise the potato patties may lose their shape while cooking.
Have a plate/bowl of flour nearby to keep the potato patties well dusted to avoid them from sticking prior to cooking. While refrigerating, its best to heavily dust each side with flour.
Cooking the Llapingchos with the lid on is a great way to ensure the flour in the potatoes cook well, via the process of steaming.
Frying a test patty is a great way to get an idea and feel of the process before cooking the entire batch. Plus, it makes for a good snack as you cook.
Avoid over crowding the pan with patties, this will make flipping these delicate patties much harder.
Equipment needed to Make Ecuadorian Cheesy Potatoes
Ingredients for Cheese-Stuffed Potato Pancakes
For all ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later, scroll to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD. You can scale the recipe based on how many pancakes you want to make so that you know exactly how many potatoes and how much cheese you’ll need for a good-sized patty!
Potatoes: I love to use Yukon gold potatoes because they hold their shape and they crisp nicely. You need potatoes that will keep their form so that they don’t fall apart when you fry! Plus, they have a nice buttery flavour.
Cheese: I’m using Queso cotija cheese. It’s comparable to feta cheese. While it’s not melting cheese, I really enjoyed the flavour and texture that this cheese gave to the pancakes. It is firm and warm on the inside when you’ve fried the potato patties!
Shallots: I think some shallots will add a nice crunch and sweetness to the potato patties.
All-purpose flour: Use a fair amount to bind the potatoes well so that they won’t explode when frying.
Herbs: I’m garnishing with freshly chopped chives, but feel free to also use parsley or even thyme if you want.
Salt and pepper: Essential seasoning for you to add to taste.
Olive oil: To sauté the shallots and then to sauté the llapingachos. You can also use vegetable oil or canola oil if you want.
How to Make Llapingachos
Boil or steam the potatoes until fork tender and then peel off the skin. While the potatoes are cooking, sauté the shallots with 2-3 tsp of olive oil until they soften and become fragrant.
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and begin mashing. Then, add shallots, salt, pepper and flour. Continue mashing and mixing until completely smooth. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly.
While the potatoes cool, cut the cheese into 1 inch squares. Then, once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out 2 portion of the potatoes and form a ball. You may need to dust your hand or the potatoes with flour to make it easier to work with. Pat down slightly and make a dent in the middle. Add the cheese in the middle and then cover with potatoes to form a ball again. Pat down slightly and place on a baking sheet thats dusted with flour.
Repeat with the remaining portions and allow the stuffed portions to cool down for 30-40 minutes.
Heat a non-stick pan on medium-low to medium heat and once hot add olive oil. Place the potato patties on the pan and sauté without moving the patties for 4-5 minutes with the lid on. Then, carefully flip the patties with a fish or crepe spatula , something with a very thin profile and cook on the other side for 4-5 more minutes, covered.
Garnish with chopped chives.
Serve fresh and enjoy!
Can I use Other Potatoes for this recipe?
I’ve found from some sources that traditionally Llapincgachos are made with papa criolla potatoes, which originates from the Andes region in South America. However, you can use yellow potatoes, red potatoes, and if none of these are available, russet potatoes can work too.
What Other Cheese can I use for llapingachos?
You could also use Queso blanco for Llpangachos. This is actually what I was initially looking for, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to find it! This cheese would be excellent in your Ecuadorian crispy cheesy potato pancakes because this is a melting cheese, so if you’re looking for an explosion of cheese and gooeyness in your bite, then this is great!
For more accessible cheeses at your regular grocery store, you can use a combination of mozzarella and cheddar. I would not use cheddar alone because it’s not as melty as mozzarella, but mozzarella on its own doesn’t have much flavour. That’s why a combination is best!
Can I make Cheese-Stuffed Potato Pancakes in advance?
Yes, it is possible to prepare Llapingachos in advance. Of course fresh is best, but if there are leftovers, then that’s no problem at all! Simply transfer the leftover crispy potato pancakes to an airtight container. You could reheat in the microwave, but the potato pancakes could get soggy and lose their shape. Your best bet would be to refry them on the pan on low heat.
Can THese Ecuadorian Potato Pancakes be gluten-Free?
Yes, llapingachos certainly can be made gluten-free! All you need to do is coat the cheesy potato pancakes with gluten-free flour.
What to Serve with Crispy Cheese Potato Fritters
Technically you could have whatever you want since llapingachos are a side dish or appetizer! You could serve with avocado and eggs for breakfast, but here are some other great ideas to pair your potato pancakes!
Pork Chops
Garlic Bread
Dinner Rolls - you could even use dinner rolls as slider buns and serve the patties in between buns with some spicy mayo as vegetarian sliders, like my McAloo Tikki Burgers! That’s actually how I ate these!
For Dessert, you would love to have:
OTHER Crispy Potato Snack RECIPES!
Watch How to Make Crispy Cheese-Stuffed Potato Patties Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!