Seasoned Mashed Potatoes Garnished With Shrimp & Vegetables

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• 3 lbs baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped seeded hot chili pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 lb sweet potato, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 lb fresh yucca root, peeled, sliced crosswise and cut into small wedges
• 4 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut into 4 rounds each
• 8 jumbo shrimp, raw in their shells
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, cut lengthwise into halves
• 16 pitted black olives
• 1/2 lb queso blanco, sliced 1/2-inch thick and cut into triangles about 2-inch long and 1-inch wide (mozzarella or munster can be subbed)

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 250*. drop the potatoes into a large pot of lightly salted boiling water (enough to cover them) and boil them briskly until they are tender.
• 2 meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the onions, lemon juice, fresh chili, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and oil, and beat them together with a whisk or a fork. drain the potatoes and mash to a smooth puree with a fork, potato masher or electric mixer.
• 3 beat in the sauce, a tblsp. at a time, and taste for seasoning. mound the potatoes in the center of a large heatproof platter and cover loosely with foil. keep the potatoes warm in the preheated oven.
• 4 into each of two 3 to 4 quart saucepans pour about 2 qts. of water. bring to a boil and drop in the sweet potatoes and yucca. boil briskly, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
• 5 then remove them from their pans with a slotted spoon and arrange them around the mashed potatoes. cover the platter again and return it to the oven.
• 6 in a heavy 3 quart saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil over high heat. drop in the shrimp and cook them, uncovered, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until they are firm and pink.
• 7 drain them and peel off the shells. devein if desired.
• 8 while shrimp cook, bring 2 qts. of water to a boil over high heat in a 4 quart saucepan. drop in the corn and boil, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the corn is tender. drain in a colander.
• 9 remove the platter from the oven and place the corn on it. alternate the shrimp and cheese triangles in a circular deisign on top of the potatoes. add the olives and eggs to the arrangement, and serve at once.