Ajiaco Colombiano

A heritage dish in Colombia, Peru, and Colombia, ajiaco is a comforting chicken-and-potato soup with Tainan roots which the residents of Bogotá embrace as their signature cure-all. There, it’s typically prepared with three varieties of potatoes indigenous to the Andes—the birthplace of potato cultivation. Laroot’s cumin-spiced version, inspired by a friend from Bogotá who introduced us to the soup, is a medley of organic free-range chicken, potato medallions, spinach, corn, and guascas, a flowering Andean herb with a chardlike texture and a slightly minty taste. In true Bogotan style, we serve our ajiaco with crème fraiche and capers, as optional garnishes.