Rellenos de papa y güisquil (Stuffed potato and squash chayote)

This is for the lovers of a good cheesy potato situation

You may have heard of "Rellenos de papa" or "Papa rellana" and immediately envision a fried ball made out of potato and stuffed with meat. For me it's a bit different though because is a Salvador when we say "relleno" is typically vegetable slices stuffed with cheese and they are delicious! For the purpose of this recipe I will refer to the squash chayote as "güisquil" which is how it's called in El Salvador.

What are Salvadoran potato and squash chayote rellenos? (Que son rellenos the papa y güisquil Salvadoreños?)

In El Salvador "rellenos de papa or güisquil" is made with two thin slices of the vegetable, stuffed with cheese, wrapped in egg batter, fried and then cooked in tomato sauce. If you've ever tried a Mexican stuffed poblano pepper, these rellenos are made following the same process.

Growing up my mom would make these often, I have always been a potato lover so those were my preferred rellenos. I learned how to make these by watching her every time and eventually I was the one making them for our family at the age of 15. The first time I ever made them I skipped the step of boiling the slices of potato in water before assembling and the potato was only half way cooked by the end of it all. My poor family had to eat those for dinner. Now looking back I could have let them cook a bit longer in the tomato sauce until, but I didn't know any better!

What are the rellenos stuffed with?

Normally it's cheese but depending on who makes them the filling may be different. I grew up with two common options: slices of cheese or a cheese mix. My favorite was the cheese mix. My mom would add onion, tomato, green bell pepper and mix it very well with shredded or crumbled cheese. I like to mix 50% "queso fresco" and 50% mozzarella cheese and add cilantro to the mix! You will need to press the mix down as much as possible to make it easier to stuff the rellenos. If you want to add a protein to the stuffing, I suggest you add in slices of turkey, chicken or ham!

How to make Salvadoran potato and squash chayote rellenos? (Como hacer rellenos de papa y güisquil Salvadoreños"

I will warn you, it's not a short process but it's worth every minute. If you're a leftover lover like me, make a bigger batch for a couple of meals or even freeze them for later.

Ingredients:

• 2 russet potatoes

• 1 güisquil/chayote

• 5 oz queso ranchero

• 5 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

• 4 tomatos

• 1 oz Red onion

• 1/2 white onion

• 2 oz cilantro

• 1/2 green bell pepper

• 1/2 red bell pepper

• 3 garlic cloves

• 5-6 eggs: You may need to use more depending on the size of the eggs

• 1/4 tsp cumin

• 1/4 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tbsp chicken bouillon

• 1/2 tbsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 1/4 dried oregano

• 1/2 cup of preferred frying oil

• 1/2 cup of water

Instructions: They are in the order that I typically follow the steps but if a different order is easier for you, please adjust!

1. Peel your potatoes and güisquil, and cut them into 1/4 inch slices from top to bottom. Place them in cold water for 30 mins

2. Filling: In the meantime dice one tomato, 1/2 of the green and red bell pepper, red onion and cilantro. Place them into a container, crumble the queso ranchero and add the shredded mozzarella cheese. Mix it well, cover it and place in the fridge.

3. Place a pot on med-high heat with water and salt it generously. Once the water is boiling add in the slices of potato and güisquil, cover and cook for 4-5 min. We do not want the potato and güisquil to cook throughly because it will fall apart, instead they should just be one third of the way. After, the five minutes turn the heat off and place the slices on a flat surface to cool. Make sure they are spread out in order to properly cool, I like to use my cutting board to cool them.

4. Salsa: Place a skilled on med-high heat. While the skillet gets hot slice the 3 tomatoes in half. Cut the green bell pepper, red bell pepper and half of the white onion into smaller pieces. Place these vegetables and 3 garlic cloves onto the hot skillet. Char these vegetables on the skillet, it takes about 5 mins and you will need to flip them half way through.

5. Once charred place in your blender and add the paprika, chicken bouillon, salt, pepper and oregano. Blend until smooth and set to the side.

6. Assembly: The potato and güisquil should be cooled now, so it's time to assemble. You will need two pieces of potato or güisquil to make one relleno. You will need to add the cheese mix on top of the first slice and the top with the second slice. You can fill as much as you want but try not to fill them too much as it will be harder to wrap in the egg batter.

7. Egg batter: You will need a big container and small container. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the egg whites in the big bowl and the yolks in the small container. Beat the egg whites on high until it gains a firm consistency and keeps the shape when you move it around. Then slowly add in the yolks while you beak on low until fully integrated. Your batter should be from and yellow.

8. Place a pan on medium heat and add 1/4 - 1/2 cups of oil. Once hot we need to wrap each relleno with the batter and fry until golden. Remove from the pan and place on the frying rack. There are two methods you can use to wrap it in the egg batter:

   1. Grab a relleno and dip into the batter and immediately place it in the pan to fry. You can always add more batter on top if needed. Once you see golden edges flip it over.

   2. Place some egg batter in the pan, add the relleno on the left side of the batter. With a spatula flip the ride side of the batter over the relleno. You can add more egg batter if needed.

9. Once all of your rellenos are fried, place them in a pot and pour the salsa over the rellenos and add about 1/2 a cup of water. The liquid should be covering the rellenos. Place the pot on med-high heat and cover it for about 10-15 mins until it comes to a boil. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Typically this is served with white rice, Salvadoran beans and tortillas but it you want a lighter option add a side salad. I prefer to serve it with a simple white rice to allow the sauce to add all the flavor. If you want to see the video instructions go on to my IG or TikTok (@Flourishwitg) and make sure you follow me for more recipes!