Papas Rellenas 2004

For the red onion garnish: Whisk together lime juice, hot pepper and sugar. Pour over onions; season to taste with salt, and chill overnight. Drain before using.

For the picadilllo: In a stockpot, combine beef, quartered onions, tomatoes, bay leaf and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours. Cool; chop beef into 1/8" dice. Strain cooking liquid; reserve 3/4 cup. In sautè pan, heat oil until hot. Sautè diced onion and garlic until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in 4 tsps. flour, oregano, paprika and cayenne pepper. Add beef, reserved cooking liquid, olives and raisins; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill before using.

3For the potato wrap: Place potatoes in a pot; cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; pass hot potatoes through a ricer. Stir in 1 cup flour until blended; season to taste with salt. Cover and chill before using.

Flour hands well. Place 1/2 cup potato mixture in the palm of your hand; make an indentation for the filling. Add 2 Tbsps. picadillo mixture; wrap potato around filling to enclose completely. Shape into flat oval. Place on well-floured sheet pan. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form a total of 24 papas rellenas. Cover; chill before using.

For each serving: In a sautè pan, heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil; cook 1 papa rellena until browned on both sides and heated through. Serve with 2 Tbsps. red onion garnish.