Caldillo de papas is a light Andean-style soup of potatoes simmered in beef bone broth with onion, garlic and fresh mint. Melted cheese and a swirl of beaten egg are stirred in at the end, so the broth turns silky and a little rich. It is a modest everyday soup, easy to make from pantry staples.
Ingredients
Instructions
Heat the oil in a 3-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and mint, and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent but not browned.
Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until the slices are tender but still hold their shape. Taste the broth and add salt only if needed, since bone broth varies a lot.
Add the cheese and stir gently until it melts into the broth, about 2 minutes. Pour the beaten eggs in a thin stream while stirring slowly, so they set into fine threads. Cook for 1 minute more, then remove from the heat.
Ladle into warm bowls and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately, while the cheese is still soft.
Nutrition285 estimated calories per serving
Notes
Waxy potatoes keep their shape in the simmering broth. Floury potatoes, such as russets, will break down and thicken the soup, which is also pleasant but gives a different texture.
Authentic Andean cheeses such as queso fresco and quesillo soften rather than melt. Monterey Jack, mild white cheddar or low-moisture mozzarella give the stretchy, melted result described here.
For a fresher, crumblier finish, use queso fresco and add it at the table.
Add the eggs only after the pot is off the boil. A rapid boil turns them into rubbery lumps instead of delicate threads.
Variations
Spicy: add 1 to 2 teaspoons of ají amarillo paste with the onion, or a pinch of cayenne.
Heartier: stir in ½ cup of frozen peas or corn with the potatoes.
Vegetarian: replace the bone broth with a well-flavored vegetable broth.
Herb-forward: replace the mint with 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro.
Source
Cuisine: Chilean cuisine
Potato-and-cheese soups are a staple across the Andes. Peru has papa cashqui (the Quechua name means “potato soup”), and Ecuador has locro de papa. They are thickened with potato and finished with fresh cheese. The version here, with beaten egg stirred in at the end, is a simple home-style variant. No source we found documents its origin, so it is presented as Andean-style rather than as a specific regional classic.