Cuy relleno

Prepare the dressed cuy.Keep both cleaned guinea pigs chilled at 4 °C or below until preparation. Pat dry with paper towels and inspect the cavities for remaining tissue; do not wash raw carcasses in the sink. The surfaces are dry and the cavities are completely cleaned by the supplier. Avoid splashing raw meat; wash hands and sanitise the board afterwards.

Season inside and out.Mix all 20 ml lime juice, 15 ml vinegar, 12 g garlic, 5 g salt, 2 g cumin and 1 g pepper. Rub over and into both carcasses, keeping them refrigerated while the filling is prepared. Both inner cavities and skin surfaces carry a thin, even seasoning layer. Keep raw meat away from prepared herbs and cooked food.

Make the herb-and-peanut filling.Heat all 20 ml vegetable oil in a frying pan and soften the 120 g onion for 8 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in all huacatay, mint, parsley, oregano and 60 g ground peanuts; cook 3 minutes more, stirring so the nuts do not scorch. The onion is translucent, the herbs wilt and the filling holds together loosely. Use a separate clean spoon after raw meat handling.

Stuff and secure.Let the filling lose its steam for 5 minutes while you preheat the oven to 190 °C. Divide it evenly between the two cavities without packing tightly, then secure openings with food-safe butcher string or skewers. The filling is loose enough to heat through and stays enclosed when the carcasses are lifted. Avoid cross-contact between raw meat and cooked serving utensils.

Roast until thoroughly cooked.Set the stuffed cuys on a rack in a roasting pan and roast in the 190 °C oven for approximately 70 minutes, turning the tray halfway. Use a digital probe: the thickest meat and the centre of the stuffing must both reach at least 74 °C before serving. The skin is browned and the meat yields at the joints; both meat and stuffing register at least 74 °C. The 74 °C target is a conservative stuffed-meat control, not a species-specific government threshold; do not rely on skin colour.

Cook the potatoes.While the cuys roast, put all 600 g potatoes in a clean saucepan and cover with all 1000 ml listed water; simmer for 20 minutes, drain and keep covered until plating. A fork enters a potato piece easily without it breaking apart.

Rest, carve and serve.Rest the roasted cuys loosely covered for 10 minutes away from raw meat surfaces. Divide each into two portions and place with one-quarter of the boiled potatoes, keeping the stuffing inside each portion where practical. Juices settle and each portion includes roasted meat and fragrant cooked filling. Carve on a clean board after verifying temperatures.