Lomo Saltado

One of my dear friends hosted a farewell dinner for our family. She is from Peru, and her mother is an amazing cook. Her mother made a favorite Peruvian dish called Lomo Saltado. It was so incredible! I can't wait to try this at home. Here's the basic idea (from about.com):

Normally you do not find french fries in a stir-fry, nor do you find rice and potatoes served in the same dish. This Chinese-Peruvian dish breaks those rules to great effect. Seasoned with soy sauce and yellow aji peppers, this dish has both Peruvian and Asian flavors in every bite.

Prep Time: 1 hours, 00 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pound beef tenderloin
• 2 red onions, sliced thinly into slivers
• 1 hot yellow pepper, diced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 red peppers, sliced into thin strips
• 2 plum tomatoes, sliced into thin strips
• vegetable oil for frying potatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut potatoes into 1/2 inch thick french fries, and place in ice water. Set aside.
   
   
2. Cut beef into thin 1/2 inch strips. Mash garlic cloves. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet and sauté garlic with the cumin for 1 minute.
   
   
3. Add beef and cook on medium high heat until browned on all sides.
   
   
4. Remove beef from heat and season with salt and pepper (Kathy's mom used beef bouillon for additional beef flavor). Set aside.
   
   
5. Add the onions and hot yellow pepper to the same pan and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the onions are soft, adding a little more vegetable oil if needed. (Kathy's mom used a purple onion, and did not use the hot yellow pepper, perhaps because she knew we were wimps when it comes to spices!)
   
   
6. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, and red peppers and cook 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from heat.
   
   
7. In a separate pan, fry the potatoes in 1 to 2 inches of oil until golden. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
   
8. Add the beef to the pan with the onions and peppers. Add the tomatoes and heat for 2 minutes.
   
   
9. Add the french fries to the stir-fry. Serve with rice. (Kathy's mom layered the dish -- French fries on the bottom, then tomatoes, then beef, then onions and peppers on top. The rice was dished up on the plate first, then a scoop of Lomo Saltado on top of the rice. The Monson family likes to have this dish with ketchup, salt, and pepper. But we enjoyed it just as it was prepared without adding anything! I noticed that the rice had been stir-fried also, with some garlic and possibly some chicken bouillon added. And for a finishing touch, Mama Olga sprinkled finely chopped cilantro over the entire dish. It was beautiful and tasty!)

Serves 4 to 6.