Ecuadorian Llapingachos and Beans by Colleen Guenther

I love Llapingachos (cheese filled potato cakes) and beans at a local restaurant here in MPLS. Chimborazo to be exact. I was too lazy to drive there today so I made them at home, and it was GOOOOD.

What you need (serves 2):

Llapingachos:
2 small-medium sized Russet potatoes (diced into less than 1/2 inch cubes)

Small pieces of Swiss or any white soft chz
Salt to taste 
Dash of Paprika
Oil for sautéing

Beans:

1 can of Pinto Beans (drained and rinsed)

1 small white onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 handful of cilantro finely chopped 

A good shake of Cumin

A good shake of Chili powder

1 dried Guallijo or Pasilla pepper

3 dried (and de-seeded) arbol chili peppers (use less if you can't take the heat)

Salt to taste

2-3 cups of Water

Start with your beans. Sauté the onions on medium heat in a lil EEOV until slightly translucent. Then add your garlic and sauté a lil longer. Add 2 cups of water, and the rest of the ingredients for the beans. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a while (I cooked mine for about 45 mins). Watch them closely because you want the water to boil down enough to create more of a "gravy" consistency with the beans (which will eventually go over the potato cakes). Add more water if you need it so that you can cook the beans for a while to let those flavors develop without drying up.

While your beans are cooking, boil your diced potatoes in water for about 8 minutes (keep checking until they are soft). When done, drain, mash, and then add the salt and paprika. Set aside for 5 minutes. Then, when they are ready to handle with your hands, create a little larger than golf ball balls of the potato mixture and place the balls on a baking sheet (or a plate or something) and place (covered) in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour. This firms them up a bit. Once a tad chilled, cut them in half and add some Swiss cheese pieces in the middle, put the top and bottom of the ball back together, smush the edges together and slightly flatten the balls. Then, heat up some olive oil in a pan and sauté them on each side. 

Once both are done, remove the dried peppers from the beans. Then, serve up the potato cakes and pour the beans over them. That's it and it's DELISH.