After a long day of carrying around camera gear, we crowded into a bustling restaurant off the square in Cusco and I dug into my first lomo saltado. The flavors I tasted while traveling through Peru are what inspired these steak and potato kabobs, a perfect meal for camping with global flavors!
This recipe was originally created for the Idaho Potato Council. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Lomo saltado is a Peruvian dish of thin-sliced beef and french fries, tomatoes, and onions all stirfried together and served with rice. Spotted on almost every menu in Peru while I was there, its popularity had me trying more than a few samples.
A quick and flavorful camping recipe
Lomo saltado is a quick dish that when cooked traditionally, is a stir fry. For this camping version of the recipe, I went with a simplified kabob version for easy clean up while elevating the hearty beef and potato combo with aji and huacatay, signature Peruvian flavors.
What you need for these easy campfire kabobs
These are super easy bbq beef kabobs. However, finding the aji amarillo and huacatay may be a bit tricky (see my recipe notes for tips). Once you have those you just need a lean cut of beef, a couple of Idaho potatoes, and a few staples like soy sauce, red onion, and tomatoes.
Everything’s punched up with a little lime juice for a pop of brightness and some cilantro for serving.
Quick tips for making this Peruvian inspired kabob recipe
Marinate the beef ahead of time to let it soak in the flavors. I will make this before hitting camp, allowing the flavors to marinate in a resealable bag in the cooler while I head to camp. It’s a perfect easy grilled dinner.
Don’t want to slice potatoes at camp? No problem! You can use frozen potato wedges for this or steak cut fries as well! Just don’t let the frozen potatoes thaw while getting to camp or they get soggy.
Psst, you could also use frozen fries for this campfire chili fries and I totally use frozen potato tots for this make-ahead burrito recipe I always make!
When cubing the steak and slicing the potatoes, even cuts is going to be the trick to making sure everything cooks evenly. As best you can, try to make sure all the beef is cubed to the same size and the potatoes are sliced to even wedges.
I pair this with a quick green sauce – aka aji verde – a cilantro-based crema that is perfect for these kabobs and a variety of other things (try it on eggs too). You can store the sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
GirlCarnivore Pro Tip: Spruce up your campfire eats by making sauces ahead of time and storing in resealable jars. Chimichurri and this quick aji verde are two of my favorites!
Want more global recipe inspiration? Try some of my favorite recipes
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Peruvian Inspired Steak and Potato Kabobs
Equipment
- Grilling Skewers
Ingredients
Cilantro Sauce:
- ½ cup Mayo
- 1 bunch fresh Cilantro
- ¼ cup Queso Fresco
- 1 Serrano or jalapeno seeded, stemmed and minced
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 4 Scallions
- Lime juice from one lime
- Salt
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Aji Amarillo Sauce
- 1 teaspoon huacatay paste
- Lime juice
For the Kabobs
- 2 lbs top sirloin steak
- 3 evenly sized Idaho Potatos washed, peeled and sliced into wedges
- 1 Red Onion sliced into disks
- ½ lbs Tomatoes
Instructions
Make the Cilantro Sauce (aka aji verde)
- In a food processor, combine the mayo, cilantro, queso fresco, jalapeno, garlic cloves, scallions, and lime juice.
- Pulse until smooth.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Cover and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Prep and Marinate the Beef
- Remove any excess fat from the steak and cut into 1” cubes. Place in a large resealable bag.
- Whisk the olive oil, soy sauce, aji sauce, huacatay paste and lime juice together in a bowl.
- Pour over the steak cubes.
- Marinate for 2 to 6 hours.
Per-cook the Potatoes
- When ready to grill, preheat your campfire or grill for indirect heat.
- Par-cook the fries by grill at high heat, around 450, in foil tray or cast iron pan until golden brown with a tiny bit of oil to prevent soggy potatoes, stirring as needed to crisp evenly, about 25 minutes.
- Season with salt and set side until you make the kabobs.
Assemble the kabobs
- Assemble the kabobs with the marinated beef cubes alternating with the cooked potatoes.
Grill the kabobs
- Place on the hot side of the grill, and rotate, making sure to cook the beef evenly to desired doneness or 135 for medium-rare.
- Remove from the grill and set aside to rest.
- Meanwhile, grill the onions and tomatoes.
- Serve the kabobs on a platter with the grilled onions and tomatoes with the cilantro sauce for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
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