Anticucho Paceño
Ingredients
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- 2 pounds beef heart – trimmed of sinew, cut into 1.5-inch pieces
- 4 tbsp ají colorado powder – divided
- 6 cloves garlic – finely grated (divided)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 8 tbsp vegetable oil – divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt – for marinade
- 2 pounds yellow potatoes – small, scrubbed (~6.5 medium yellow potatos)
- 1 tbsp kosher salt – for boiling potatoes
- 1/2 cup white onion – finely chopped (~0.5 medium white onions)
- 4 ounces roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt – for peanut sauce
Instructions
1. Soak 8–10 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent burning. Trim the beef heart of membranes and sinew, then cut into 1.5-inch pieces.
2. Whisk the red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp ají colorado powder, 4 of the grated garlic cloves, ground cumin, ground black pepper, 3 tbsp vegetable oil, and 1.5 tsp kosher salt in a bowl to make the marinade. Reserve 0.25 cup marinade for basting. Add the beef heart pieces to the remaining marinade, toss to coat, cover, and refrigerate 2–8 hours.
3. Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water by 1 inch, and add 1 tbsp kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until just tender when pierced, 15–20 minutes. Drain, let cool until handleable, then halve the potatoes.
4. For the peanut sauce, blend the roasted peanuts with the water until smooth and creamy, 30–60 seconds. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, 3–4 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tbsp ají colorado powder and the remaining 2 grated garlic cloves; cook 30 seconds. Pour in the peanut mixture, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring often, until thick, glossy, and spoon-coating, 8–10 minutes. Season with 0.5 tsp kosher salt and keep warm on low.
5. Preheat a grill to high heat (450–500°F). Clean and oil the grates with 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Thread the marinated heart onto the soaked skewers, shaking off excess marinade.
6. Toss the halved potatoes with 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Grill potatoes cut-side down until lightly charred and heated through, 4–6 minutes, turning once; transfer to a platter.
7. Grill the skewers over direct heat, basting with the reserved marinade and turning every 2–3 minutes, until edges are well charred and the centers are just rosy and springy to the touch, 8–10 minutes total. Rest 3 minutes.
8. Serve the anticuchos over the grilled potatoes. Spoon peanut sauce generously over the potatoes and a little over the meat. Eat hot, with extra sauce on the side.
Anticucho Paceño is a beloved La Paz street staple of beef heart skewers grilled over live coals until smoky and charred, then served with tender potatoes and a lush peanut sauce. The flavor is bright and savory from a vinegar-and-chile marinade, with garlic and cumin perfuming the meat while it sears. The plate balances textures: juicy, lightly bouncy heart, crusty-edged potatoes, and a silky, nutty maní sauce that ties everything together.
Rooted in Andean cookery and night-market culture, anticuchos likely trace back to pre-Columbian offal traditions, later shaped by colonial ingredients like vinegar and skewers. In La Paz, vendors fan the coals and brush the meat with a spicy basting as lines form after dusk, making this dish a sensory icon of the city. The pairing with boiled-then-grilled potatoes and a peanut sauce is particularly associated with the paceño style, often joined by local llajua salsa for extra heat.