Chilled Layered Potato Salad (Causa Limena)

YIELD: 4 servings

4 cups Yukon gold potatoes, cooked and passed through potato press
½ cup Aji Amarillo paste
2 each limes, juiced by hand
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup red onion, chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup canned tuna
2 each Roma tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 each avocado, sliced
4 each hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
Salt, to taste

1. In a bowl, mix the potato (warm), Aji Amarillo paste, lime juice and oil. Work with hands until a dough-consistency forms. Season with salt and set aside.

2. In another bowl, mix the onion and mayonnaise. Set aside.

3. To assemble, place a layer of a third of the potato mix on the bottom of a rectangular or square mold, then add a layer of the tuna, then a little of the onion mix. Cover with another third of the potato mix, the slices of tomato, avocado and egg. Finally, cover with the rest of the potato and spread the rest of the onion mix on top. Cover mold with plastic and store in refrigerator for 30 minutes until it sets.

4. Sprinkle the parsley on top and cut into individual pieces and serve.

Photo: John Lawn, Recipe: Valeria Molinelli, prepared by a college chef team at UMass's 15th Annual Tastes of the World Chef Culinary Conference, Amherst, MA, 2009