Causa – Peruvian Mashed Potatoes with Chicken and Avocado
 
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Visiting Lima, I attended a Peruvian cooking class at SKY KITCHEN. The class was amazing! We made a classic Peruvian dish: Causa. Causa is a layered dish of mashed potatoes, chicken salad, and avocado. It’s a complete meal in one dish! And the presentation is stellar. At Sky Kitchen, I also learned how to “decorate” my food and make it visually gorgeous (along with tasting fabulous). The key to this dish is to use 2 different types of potatoes to reduce the amount of water that could be found in the mashed potatoes. Also, the Aji Amarillo molido sauce is necessary to have. If you don’t have it, you can always use a yellow chili paste. Buen Provecho!
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Recipe type: Appetizer, Entree
Cuisine: Peruvian
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 yellow potato, peeled (no skin)
  • 2 white potatoes, peeled (no skin)
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil (do not use olive oil for the taste will change)
  • 3-4 key limes
  • 3 Tbsp Aji Amarillo molido (or you can use a yellow chili paste)
  • 6 ounces of roasted/baked chicken breast (boneless/skinless) and shredded
  • 4 Tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt (such as Fage or Chobani)
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Sauce ingredients:
  • ½ small onion, minced
  • 2 Tbsp White wine vinegar
  • 1-2 Tbsp Aji Amarillo paste or a yellow bell pepper paste
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Peel, slice, and cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 30 minutes. Remove from water and drain. Use a potato ricer to cut up the potatoes.
  2. Add the lime juice, Aji Amarillo molido paste, and vegetable oil to the potatoes. Use salt & pepper to taste. Mix really well so the color is uniform. The mashed potatoes should now be yellow.
  3. In a separate bowl, add the yogurt to the shredded chicken and mix well.
  4. Add salt & pepper to taste. Slice the avocado.
  5. Using a metal ring (about 10 cm in diameter and 6 cm in height), start to layer the dish. First add a layer of potatoes (about the height of the tip of your pinky finger). Next add a thin layer of avocado. Next add another layer of the potato mixture and firmly press down. Now add a layer of the chicken mixture and firmly press down. Add another thin layer of avocado. Finally, add a 3rd layer of the potato mixture. And press firmly down. Remove the metal ring.
  6. Make the sauce. You can use a food processor and mix all the ingredients together or you can cut everything up really tiny and mix by hand. Top the potato layer with the sauce and/or add fresh cilantro to decorate. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 mold Calories: 286.8 Fat: 11.3 Saturated fat: 1.9 Carbohydrates: 35.1 Sugar: 4.0 Sodium: 34.2 Fiber: 3.6 Protein: 13.4 Cholesterol: 25.5
Recipe by Sarah Koszyk at https://sarahkoszyk.com/causa-peruvian-mashed-potatoes-with-chicken-and-avocado/