Potatoes and Summer Squash with Black Mint Sauce Recipe

Updated August 30, 2018

Thick, creamy, intensely-spiced sauces are an essential component of Peruvian cooking. Dairy, usually some combination of milk and fresh cheese, is blended with flavorful herbs or chiles as well as thickeners like bread, crackers, and nuts. Black mint sauce is one of these canonical sauces. It's traditionally made with huacatay, a mint-like herb that's a member of the marigold family. Black peppermint isn't huacatay, but it's more commonly available in some places and makes for a decent substitute.

Here is my version of black mint sauce, kept on the simple side. You can spoon it on roast chicken, or, as I've done here, on thinly sliced potatoes (another Peruvian staple) and zucchini for a light summery dish. I've opted to use aji amarillo, a mother chile in Peruvian cooking. If you can't find it, a bright chile like aleppo or cayenne would do. The amount here will lend a tinge of chile heat and flavor, but feel free to add more. Alternately, this dish loves some hot sauce—I add plenty tableside.

Black mint is stronger and less floral than typical mint. You can get a rough substitute by combining three parts mint to one part cilantro.

Spice Hunting: Black Mint

Recipe Details

Potatoes and Summer Squash with Black Mint Sauce Recipe

Active 40 mins

Total 40 mins

Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup black mint leaves, packed
3 aji amarillo chiles, seeded (if using dried chiles, soak for 20 minutes in hot water)
1/2 pound farmer's cheese, cotija, or feta
6 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup half-and-half or evaporated milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 large zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Salt

Directions

Combine black mint, chiles, cheese, garlic, half-and-half, and lemon juice in food processor. Pulse until mixture forms a smooth sauce. Add salt to taste and set aside. Makes about 2 cups of sauce.
In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat two tablespoons oil on medium heat until shimmering, then add potatoes. Gently cook, stirring frequently so to avoid sticking, until potatoes are just cooked through, about ten minutes. Add salt to taste, and remove to a bowl with tongs or a slotted spoon, leaving oil in pan.
Increase heat to high and add two remaining tablespoons oil. Add zucchini and cook over high heat until lightly caramelized around edges, about five minutes. Salt to taste, then return potatoes to pan and cook one additional minute. Serve and top with black mint sauce, and hot sauce if desired.

Special Equipment

Food processor

This Recipe Appears In

Spice Hunting: Black Mint

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
439	Calories
23g	Fat
46g	Carbs
14g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	439
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g	30%
Saturated Fat 7g	34%
Cholesterol 26mg	9%
Sodium 593mg	26%
Total Carbohydrate 46g	17%
Dietary Fiber 6g	23%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 65mg	326%
Calcium 306mg	24%
Iron 3mg	17%
Potassium 1882mg	40%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.