Salchipapa is a popular Peruvian recipe of French fries served with beef sausages, topped with creamy aji amarillo sauce, a popular street food.
Salchipapa Recipe
We're cooking up a famous Peruvian dish tonight, my friends, and I think you're going to love this one. It's called Salchipapa!
What is Salchipapa?
Salchipapa is a flavorful combination of French fries and beef sausages, or hot dogs. The name of the dish tells you exactly what it is - "Salchichas", or sausages, and "Papas", or potatoes.
While it was created as a street food in Lima, Peru, you'll find variations all around South American countries, with different sauces, different ways to make the fries or slice the sausages, though the base remains the same for the most part.
I love this for a simple comfort food meal, or for serving for game day. Kids and adults alike enjoy them! I hope you do as well.
I mean, it's French fries and hot dogs, so it's bound to be big on flavor.
Let's talk about how to make salchipapa, shall we?
Salchipapa Ingredients
- FOR THE HOMEMADE FRENCH FRIES (“PAPAS”)
- Potatoes. Large russet potatoes are great for this, though you can use others.
- Olive Oil. For cooking.
- Seasonings. I'm using salt and pepper only, though you can sprinkle on any of your preferred favorites.
- FOR THE SAUSAGES (“SALCHICHAS”)
- Olive Oil. For cooking.
- Beef Sausages. Use your favorite hot dog brand, or use pork or chicken sausages. Beef sausages or hot dogs are more traditional, though this recipe is versatile.
- AJI AMARILLO SAUCE
- Aji Amarillo Paste. See my Homemade Aji Amarillo Paste recipe.
- Mayonnaise.
- Crema. Or use sour cream.
- Tomato Paste. Ketchup is a good substitute.
- Lime Juice.
- Salt and Pepper. To taste.
- FOR SERVING (Optional)
- Ketchup, mustard, fresh chopped parsley
How to Make Salchipapa - the Recipe Method
FOR THE FRENCH FRIES (“PAPAS”)
Slice the Potatoes. Wash and scrub the potatoes, then slice them into ¼ inch slices lengthwise. You can leave the skins on, if desired, though I leave mine on. Peeling the potatoes isn't necessary, though you can if you want to.
Soak the Potatoes. Add the potatoes to a bowl and cover with cold water and let them soak for at least 10 minutes. 60 minutes is better.
Drain the Potatoes. Drain and pat the potatoes and pat dry as dry you can get them. I set mine onto paper towels to soak up extra moisture.
Ready for Baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Season the French Fries. Toss the potatoes with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper (I also use spicy chili powder). Be sure to get them nicely coated.
Bake the French Fries. Spread the fries out onto baking sheets and bake them for 20 minutes, tossing them a bit about half way through.
The Second Bake. Increase the heat to 450 degrees and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the baked fries are golden brown and nice and crispy. Add salt as desired and keep them warm.
FOR THE SAUSAGES (“SALCHICAS”)
Cook the Sausages/Hot Dogs. Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat and add the sausages (hot dogs). Cook for 3-4 minutes to warm them through.
Slice the Sausages. Slice the sausages into bite-sized pieces. You can also slice then cook, as I've done here.
FOR THE AJI AMARILLO SAUCE
Whisk the Sauce. Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined.
See my full recipe with discussion for Aji Amarillo Sauce.
TO ASSEMBLE
Fries and Sausages. Spread the French fries onto a serving platter, then top with sausages.
The Sauce. Drizzle on the Aji Amarillo sauce and fresh parsley (if desired).
The Finishes. Serve with ketchup and mustard on the side, or drizzled over the top.
Boom! Done! Your salchipapa is ready to serve. Easy enough to make, isn't it? Serve it as a flavorful side dish, or make an extra batch and serve it as your main.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Frozen French Fries. You can use frozen French fries for this recipe – simply prepare them per the packaging instructions. You can also fry the potatoes in oil over medium high heat until they get crispy, though baking is my preference over deep fried in a deep fryer.
- The Sausages. Beef hot dogs are traditionally used for salchipapas, though you can use others to your preference. Another famous version is with chorizo, called choripapas.
Storage & Leftovers
Store any leftover salchipapa in a sealed container for up to 5 day in the refrigerator. Warm it again in the oven or in the air fryer to enjoy again.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this salchipapas recipe. A little like fast food, isn't it? Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Try These Other Popular Peruvian Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Salchipapa Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE HOMEMADE FRENCH FRIES (“PAPAS”)
- 2 large potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste you can use other seasonings as well
FOR THE SAUSAGES (“SALCHICHAS”)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 all-beef sausages Use your favorite hot dog brand, or use pork or chicken sausages
AJI AMARILLO SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons aji Amarillo paste
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup crema or use sour cream
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste ketchup is a good substitute
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
FOR SERVING (Optional)
- Ketchup, mustard, fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
FOR THE FRENCH FRIES (“PAPAS”)
- Wash and scrub the potatoes, then slice them into ¼ inch slices lengthwise. Think “French fry” size. You can leave the skins on, if desired. I left mine on.
- Cover the potatoes in a bowl with cold water and let them soak for at least 10 minutes. 60 minutes is better.
- Drain and pat the potatoes as dry as you can get them.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Toss the potatoes with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper (I also use spicy chili powder). Be sure to get them nicely coated.
- Spread the fries out onto baking sheets and bake them for 20 minutes, tossing them a bit about half way through.
- Increase the heat to 450 degrees and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the baked fries are nice and crispy and golden brown. Keep warm.
FOR THE SAUSAGES (“SALCHICAS”)
- Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat and add the sausages (hot dogs). Cook for 3-4 minutes to warm them through.
- Slice the sausages into bite-sized pieces.
FOR THE AJI AMARILLO SAUCE
- Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl.
TO ASSEMBLE
- Spread the French fries onto a serving platter, then top with sausages.
- Drizzle on the aji Amarillo sauce and fresh parsley (if desired).
- Serve with ketchup and mustard on the side, or drizzled over the top.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Mikey says
While there were a few tweaks here and there to make a meal, this little beauty managed to prove a good mid-day meal/snack at short notice. I knew that I needed to use some chorizo in the fridge sooner rather than later, and I remembered trying salchipapas a while back at a Peruvian place (RIP that restaurant, I only just checked recently). It proved itself well, pound-for-pound being one of my biggest winners yet.
My big sister has an air-fryer, and it has done wonders. That is in part of having five little kids to look after, each with varying levels of a finnicky palate. I admit I have been on the fence with investing in one; it is worth it. I used the air fryer to take care of the (frozen) fries, after seasoning them with a mixture of chicken salt (GOATed from Down Under), red pepper flakes, cumin, garlic salt, and oregano.
Before cooking the sausage, I made a call to do a little base consisting of onion, garlic, and jalapeno, followed up closely by a sliced capsicum. Aji Amarillo will be a task to find in New Zealand, so instead I used this big squeeze bottle of chilli sauce that was around. And Greek yoghurt is also a good substitute for crema/sour cream. About the only thing that could have topped this off would be a fried egg or two, inspiration right from that old Peruvian place.
I had the ketchup and mustard right there in the middle of the table, just in case. The dish proved so popular (between me, my big sister, her husband, and one of the nieces taking an occasional nibble), that neither of the aforementioned sauces were used - much less this elusive thing you call left-overs. They are wanting it again, and there is plenty of the fry sauce left in the fridge.
Two-for-two with Peru in the space of a week (lomo saltando is the other culprit). That is not something I would have banked on, and I cook a fair bit till this day.
Loaded fries are one of those things that seems to be the same thing, but when done right does massive wonders. With all the fuss on poutine, I reckon people are sleeping too much on salchipapas.
Mike H. says
Oh wow - thank you, Mikey, for sharing! And I love your creative approach in tweaking things when needed.
Jérémie says
Street food awesomeness! Made with my own Aji Amarillo paste: one of my all-time favorite peppers!
I used my Ipot air fryer for the fries, rather than the oven, and it worked pretty well, in my opinion!
This recipe is very comforting, just a nice little hotness: perfect for a summer lunch! Thanks, Mike!
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Glad you enjoyed it, Jérémie! Perfection right there! Cheers!