Lomo Saltado Kabobs

I still remember the first time I tried Peruvian food and it changed my life completely. It opened my taste buds to another world that I can no longer see my life without. I don’t want to sound melodramatic but it’s nothing but the truth. It all started when my older sister started dating a guy in high school who’s family was from Peru. Side note, his name was also Jonathan which made it a little weird for everyone, especially me, but I digress. He introduced her, and then subsequently us, to a Peruvian restaurant which we still frequent to this day, long after they broke up and now she’s married to someone else with child. That restaurant was the best thing to come out of that relationship. My introduction to Peruvian food was Lomo Saltado, which is a beef stir-fry of sorts, with french fries. It’s so good! I wanted to take that dish and reinvent in a way by turning it into an end-of-summer friendly recipe that anyone can make. It’s out of this world and I can’t recommend it enough. You’re going to love it!

Let’s start by making the marinade! In a large bowl, whisk together the finely minced garlic, vegetable oil, low sodium soy sauce, red wine vinegar, beef stock and a pinch of salt and pepper; set aside.

Let’s talk potatoes. We’re using mini yellow potatoes for this recipe. Place the potatoes in a medium pot and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until just barely fork tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.

**Note: You don’t want to over-cook the potatoes or else they’ll get mushy and won’t stay on the skewers. They’ll continue to cook later on the grill. Drain and set to the side to cool completely.

To assemble the kabobs, skewer together the potatoes, beef, red onion, tomato, and aji peppers (if using) onto the prepared skewers. Repeat, alternating between each ingredient, until each skewer is filled. Continue until all of the ingredients are used up. Place the kabobs into a large baking dish with high sides. Pour the marinade over the top of the kabobs. Cover with plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. Rotate the kabobs every 20 minutes to ensure they get evenly marinaded.

In the meantime, to make the aji sauce, put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth, thinning it out with a splash of water if needed.

Give it a taste and adjust seasoning accordingly, adding salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a container and chill until ready to use. It can be made up to a week in advance and kept in the fridge for all sorts of different uses, not just for this recipe.

**Tip: This green sauce uses two specialty ingredients, aji paste which is a condiment made from Peruvian yellow aji peppers, and and a Huacatay sauce which is a black mint paste. Both are optional but highly recommended because they both really round out the flavors very nicely. I found them both on Amazon and they’re so easy to get a hold of!**

Heat an outdoor grill or stove top grill pan over high heat. Once very hot, place the kabobs on and grill, turning often, until the kabobs are charred and cooked all around, about 15 to 18 minutes for medium-rare on the steak.

**Note: You can cook them longer, at a lower heat if  you want to have the meat be well-done. I prefer it to be medium-rare so that the meat doesn’t dry out and become tough, but it’s completely up to you. The key is to turn them kabobs often so that they don’t burn.**

Pour the marinade into a small pot and bring to a simmer over low medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with a tablespoon of water. Whisk it into the marinade and cook until bubbly and thickened.

**Note: I know that using the marinade might be scary to some people, because raw meat has touched it, but it’s all okay because we’re cooking it off so there’s no fear of cross contamination or anything.**

Remove the kabobs from the grill and place on a large platter. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Pour the thickened marinade over the kabobs and sprinkle with fresh cilantro for garnish. Serve with white rice and the green aji sauce from earlier.

I can’t stress enough how good this recipe is! And although summer is coming to an end, rather quick by the way, I think it’s important to have one more grill outside before the season is over. Although, if I’m being honest, this recipe would still be great any time of year. You can make it on a stovetop grill pan with the same great results. Let me know what you think below!

Lomo Saltado Kabobs

These Lomo Saltado Kabobs are a great end-of-summer take on my favorite Peruvian dish, lomo saltado which is like a beef stir-fry made with french fries.

Servings 4 servings

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

Kabobs:

• 1 lb baby yellow potatoes
• 2 garlic cloves mined finely
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
• 2 lbs boneless beef short ribs cut into cubes
• 1 medium red onion cut into chunks
• 3 plum tomatoes cut in chunks
• 4 seeded and ribbed aji amarillo chili peppers cut into chunks (optional)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• cooked white rice for serving
• fresh cilantro for garnish

Aji Verde Sauce:

• 1 lime juiced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup good-quality mayonnaise
• 3 ounces queso fresco
• 4 serrano peppers ends trimmed (less if you want to make it less spicy)
• 1 large bunch cilantro with the leaves removed
• 4 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
• 2 green onions ends trimmed and roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons huacatay paste black mint paste
• 1 tablespoons aji amarillo Peruvian yellow pepper sauce
• Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

• Place the potatoes in a medium pot and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until just barely fork tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Don't over cook the potatoes or else they'll get mushy and won't stay on the skewers. They'll continue to cook later on the grill. Drain and set to the side to cool completely.
• In the meantime, soak long wooden skewers in water until ready to use. This will prevent them from burning on the grill. You can also just use metal skewers if you have those!
• To make the marinade, in a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, beef stock and a pinch of salt and pepper; set aside.
• To assemble the kabobs, skewer together the potatoes, beef, red onion, tomato, and aji peppers (if using) onto the prepared skewers. Repeat, alternating between each ingredient, until each skewer is filled. Continue until all of the ingredients are used up. Place the kabobs into a large baking dish with high sides. Pour the marinade over the top of the kabobs. Cover with plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. Rotate the kabobs every 20 minutes to ensure they get evenly marinaded.
• In the meantime, to make the aji sauce, put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth, thinning it out with a splash of water if needed. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning accordingly, adding salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a container and chill until ready to use.
• Heat an outdoor grill or stove top grill pan over high heat. Once very hot, place the kabobs on and grill, turning often, until the kabobs are charred and cooked all around, about 15 to 18 minutes for medium-rare on the steak.
• Pour the marinade into a small pot and bring to a simmer over low medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with a tablespoon of water. Whisk it into the marinade and cook until bubbly and thickened.
• Remove the kabobs from the grill and place on a large platter. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Pour the thickened marinade over the kabobs and sprinkle with fresh cilantro for garnish. Serve with white rice and the green aji sauce. Enjoy!

Author: The Candid Appetite