Peruvian Potato Salad with Beets
This Peruvian Potato Salad with Beets is at once familiar and new. With a mayonnaise based rocoto pepper dressing, roasted potatoes, beets, and peas, you’re sure to love this twist on an old favorite. Serve it with Peruvian mains like this milanesa, this sandwich, this roasted chicken, or these anticuchos for a Peruvian-inspired feast!
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks – About Peruvian Potato Salad(s)
When I was in the early stages of creating this Peruvian potato salad, I (of course🤔) did some keyword research. If I don’t use the right keywords, you might never find the recipe. I was surprised to see that “Peruvian potato salad” means different things to different people.
A couple of the top search results were links to papa a la huancaína – potatoes covered with the popular huancaína sauce. This classic Peruvian dish is often served on a bed of leaf lettuce, but I do not consider it to be a “salad” as much as a side dish. Regardless, it is delicious!
We have had an actual Peruvian potato salad – more similar to our classic American version – at a smokehouse in Urubamba, and at a sandwich shop in Lima. Both were mayonnaise (mayonesa) based, and included Peruvian peppers in some form. Of course hard-cooked eggs and peas are included. The one I really enjoyed, though, was the one that included beets. Beets are one of my favorite vegetables…
Lastly, we have to talk about Peruvian potatoes and tubers. There are more than 4,000 varieties! I wish we had access to Peruvian blue, purple, and pink potatoes, oca, mashua, olluco, etc. Alas, we do not! However, we can make this delicious Peruvian potato salad recipe with red and purple potatoes,
📋 Ingredients Notes
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
Rocoto Mayonnaise
- mayonnaise
- chile pepper – You have a few options for chile pepper in this dressing. The orange pepper above is Capsicum pubescens, but is known in border towns and Mexico as “manzano.” In regions of South America it is called “locoto” or simply “rocoto.” In Peru, it is a “rocoto.” I can reliably get them at our market in McAllen, TX., but we’re on the Texas/Mexico border. So what can you use if you can’t get the fresh peppers? I keep a jar of rocoto pepper paste on hand, and it’s a great substitute. Ají amarillo paste is another good choice. It is definitely more mild than rocoto. Lastly, you can substitute a Fresno chile or a jalapeño.
- vinegar – Peruvians love red wine vinegar, and it certainly works in this dressing. Sherry vinegar is my “go to” vinegar, and that is what I usually use. White wine or champagne vinegar, and apple cider vinegar will work as well.
- lime juice – If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you are probably aware that I say “use fresh-squeezed lime juice, not bottled” ad infinitum. That statement definitely applies here!😉
- garlic – Much to my dismay, I discovered I was out of fresh garlic! I would normally mince fresh garlic, but alas, it was not to be. Minced garlic in a jar is fine, but it does tend to get strong.
- dijon mustard – I have not made the dressing with another type of mustard, but I’m guessing it will work fine. It’s not a large quantity.
Peruvian Potato Salad
- potatoes – As I mentioned above, Peru has over 4,000 varieties of potatoes and tubers. However, we’ll be content to use readily available varieties. As shown in the photos, I like red and purple potatoes. Yukon gold are another great option. I don’t peel the small red and purple potatoes. When I use full-sized Yukon gold, I usually peel them, and cut in 1 inch chunks. NOTE: Always one to prefer roasting over boiling, I specify roasting. The Maillard Reaction (caramelized edges) adds so much flavor!
- beets – When I had potato salad with beets in Peru, it had red beets, and the dressing was pink. I love red beets, but if I can get golden or chioggia, I get them to avoid stained hands and fingernails. Any color will work! NOTE: I avoid boiling vegetables whenever possible, so after scrubbing them, I wrap in foil and roast them.
- peas – I can get fresh peas for a couple of weeks each year. In Peru, they’re widely available. Frozen peas are great, so no worries. I just thaw them in cold water, and add them when I mix everything together. If you’re fortunate enough to have fresh peas, you’ll want to cook them until they’re tender before adding to your potato salad.
- hard-boiled eggs
- rocoto mayonnaise
- fresh herbs – I use cilantro and chives. Oregano is good as well.
🔪 Work Flow
- After wrapping beets in foil, roast in the oven.
- Start the potatoes roasting.
- Boil the eggs.
- Make the rocoto mayonnaise.
- Rinse frozen peas to thaw.
- Chop herbs.
- Put it all together.
❓FAQ
I guess the answer is subjective. I don’t love russets, and never buy them. Since the potatoes are roasted, I use what I prefer for roasted potatoes – Yukon gold, red, or purple. The purple potatoes have the added benefit of being colorful. In fact, when in Peru, your potato salad may feature purple potatoes!
That can be a tricky question! How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs offers some helpful tips.
Leftover potato salad can be kept refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. It’s crucial to refrigerate it promptly after making it, and it should be discarded if left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, according to the USDA.
💡 Tips
I struggle to achieve perfectly-cooked, pretty eggs. When appearance is important, I buy Eggland’s Best hard-boiled eggs. They’re a great time saver as well!
Perhaps you noticed I did not include a step-by-step instruction section with photos for this recipe. Please let me know in the comments below if you would prefer they be included. My posts have gotten long and wordy, and I want to include the most useful information.
Peruvian Potato Salad with Beets Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
Peruvian Potato Salad with Beets
- ½ pound beets - scrubbed, ends removed
- 24 ounces potatoes - cut in chunks or halved if small
- 6 eggs - hard-boiled (1 per serving)
- 1 cup frozen peas - thawed
- ½ cup fresh herbs – cilantro, parsley, oregano, chives - chopped
Rocoto Mayonnaise
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 rocoto or manzano pepper OR - stem and seeds removed
- 2 teaspoons rocoto paste - see Ingredients Notes in post
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 lime - juiced
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ¼-½ teaspoon sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉/204℃.
- Wrap beets in foil. Place in the preheated oven.
- To a baking sheet, toss the potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, and add them to a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven. Roast until tender and browned on the edges.
- Cook the beets until tender when pierced with a fork. Unwrap, and set aside to cool. When they're cool, peel and dice.
- While the vegetables roast, boil the eggs, and thaw the peas. Peel and halve the eggs.
- Prepare the rocoto mayonnaise. Add all ingredients to a blender. Purée until smooth.
- Combine the vegetables and about ⅓ cup of chopped herbs with the rocoto mayonnaise. Garnish with remaining fresh herbs and halved hard-boiled eggs.
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
This is a great alternative to a traditional potato salad. I love the addition of peas to the potatoes and beets; they’re not optional. In Peru, you can get a product that’s very similar to the dressing for this salad; it comes in a foil pouch, and has a squeeze top. Squirting a little of that into a bowl of soup on a chilly night in the Andes is unforgettable.
Leave it to you to remember an obscure detail like that, Mark!