Pique macho

Ingredients

• Beef sirloin — diced700 g
• Potatoes — in batons1.2 kg
• Frankfurters300 g
• Eggs4
• Onions2
• Tomatoes3
• Locoto or jalapeño3
• Bell pepper1
• Mustard2 tbsp
• Mayonnaise100 g
• Ketchup100 g
• Oil for frying1 l
• Salt and pepperto taste

Salt and spices grow more slowly than the rest: doubling a dish does not double the pepper.

Weight converts to ounces and volume to cups. Grams of flour are not turned into cups, because that depends on how tightly it is packed.

Method

1. 1

   Cut the potatoes into thick batons and soak them in cold water for twenty minutes.

   25 min

2. 2

   Dry the potatoes and fry them twice: at 150 °C until soft, then at 190 °C until crisp.

   25 min

3. 3

   Sear the diced beef over a high flame in batches for two minutes each and set it aside.

   12 min

4. 4

   Fry the sliced sausages until browned and add the onion and pepper for five minutes.

   10 min

5. 5

   Return the meat to the pan, add the tomatoes and mustard and warm it three minutes.

   5 min

6. 6

   Fry the eggs with runny yolks and cut the locoto into thin rings.

   8 min

7. 7

   Pile the chips on a platter, top with the meat and vegetables, the eggs and the locoto rings, and drizzle with mayonnaise and ketchup.

   6 min

About the dish

Everything is fried separately and piled up at the last moment. Combined in advance it softens, and the chips lose their crunch within five minutes.

Locoto, the Bolivian rocoto chilli, is very hot and fleshy. It is cut into rings and laid on raw rather than stewed with the meat.

A portion is built for two at least, and the name translates as "macho's spicy dish". In Cochabamba one order arrives as a platter for the table.

Worth knowing

• — The double fry is not optional. A single pass gives either a raw middle or dry hard sticks.
• — Locoto is very hot, several times hotter than jalapeño. Remove the seeds if the guests are not used to it.
• — Assemble at the last second and carry it straight to the table. Pique macho does not wait at all.

Nutrition

Per serving at the base yield, calculated from the ingredients rather than measured in a lab.

Calories

980 kcal

Protein

48 g

Fat

58 g

Carbs

68 g

More from Bolivia

• Salteñas — Baked pastries whose filling stays liquid inside. The Bolivian mid-morning snack.
• Silpancho — A plate-sized breaded steak over rice and potatoes, topped with a fried egg and raw salsa.
• Api morado — A hot thick purple corn drink with cinnamon and cloves, with fried pastries.