What's crispy, warm, and delicious and fits oh so perfectly in the palm of your hand? Mmmmm... empanadas! Probably one of my kid's favorite things to eat (probably the hubby's too cause he can down a dozen), empanadas are little pockets of dough bursting with so many flavors and textures. You can fill them with virtually anything - savory or sweet. My go to is a quick take on an Argentinian empanada with beef, potatoes, and hard boiled eggs. The filling can be cooked ahead of time and you can have these beauties on the table in under 30 minutes!
Makes approx. 16 empanadas
INGREDIENTS
Empanada dough disks (homemade or store bought - you can find them in the freezer aisle)
4Tbs olive oil + additional oil if frying the empanadas (if frying make sure you use an oil that can withstand heat, we prefer expeller pressed coconut oil)
1 lb ground beef
12 oz potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp Spice Tree Organic Latin Sazon Blend
3 scallions, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
3 Tbs chopped cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 cup green Spanish olives with pimientos, chopped
2 Tbs capers (optional)
2 to 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped (optional but oh so yummy)
salt to taste
METHOD
- Heat oil in a skillet. Add the cubed potatoes and pan fry. After 5 minutes turn the potatoes to brown other side for an additional 5 minutes. Drain potatoes and remove from skillet.
- Add the chopped onion and pepper to the skillet and sauté until onion is translucent about 6 minutes. Add ground beef, Sazon, salt, and paprika. Break apart ground beef and sauté until cooked through. Add cooked potatoes and cook an additional 3 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat. Add chopped cilantro, scallions, and hard boiled eggs. Let mixture completely cool.
- Follow directions on empanada disks packaging (some require you to roll out the disk a bit and make sure you lightly flour your surface so they don't stick!). Using a pastry brush with water (I like using the brine from my Spanish olives) wet the outer perimeter of the dough disk. Placeapprox. 3Tbs of filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold over and press edges firmly to seal. Rope pinch the edges tightly or use a fork and press down all along the sealed edge. Follow directions on the packaging for cooking. Usually empanadas can be baked or fried. When frying be cautious because the dough fries up and browns very quickly (approx. 2 mins on each side).
