'''Papa a la huancaína''' (literally, [[Huancayo]] style potatoes) is a [[Peru]]vian appetizer of boiled potatoes in a spicy, creamy sauce calledmade huancaínaof sauce[[queso fresco]] (fresh white cheese) and sautéed or grilled [[aji pepper|ají amarillo]] (yellow Peruvian pepper), [[red onion]] and garlic, all grounded traditionally in a [[Batan (stone)|batán]]. Although the dish's name is derived from Huancayo, a city in the central Peruvian highlands, this dish is from [[Lima]]. It has become a staple of everyday and holiday cuisine throughout the country.<ref name="Castro2011">{{cite book|author=Lourdes Castro|title=Latin Grilling: Recipes to Share, from Argentine Asado to Yucatecan Barbecue and More|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wjIT1hCRaj4C&pg=PT324|access-date=31 August 2011|date=26 April 2011|publisher=Random House Digital, Inc.|isbn=978-1-60774-004-9|page=324}}</ref><ref name="Webb1995">{{cite book|author=Lois Sinaiko Webb|title=Holidays of the world cookbook for students|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zynzuff3OMC&pg=PA232|access-date=31 August 2011|date=December 1995|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-89774-884-1|page=232}}</ref>
It is typically served cold as a starter over [[lettuce]] leaves and garnished with [[black olive]]s, [[sweet corn|white corn]] kernels and [[hard-boiled egg]] quarters.
The sauce is made of [[queso fresco]] (fresh white cheese), vegetable oil, [[aji pepper|ají amarillo]] (yellow Peruvian pepper), [[evaporated milk]] and [[salt]] mixed in a blender. Some recipes call for garlic, onion and crushed saltines. This sauce is also used in many other Peruvian dishes.
In the south of Peru ([[Cuzco]], [[Puno]], [[Arequipa]]), it is served with [[ocopa]] rather than Huancaína sauce, made from freshly toasted peanuts, fried onions and tomatoes, ají amarillo, cream or condensed milk, crushed crackers or dried bread, salt, and [[huacatay]] (''[[Tagetes minuta]]'').
