These Empanadas with Sweet Potato, Beans and Goat Cheese came about when I was challenged to make empanadas for a friend. I was a little daunted, so of course I did a lot of research. While empanadas vary widely in terms of what’s in them and how they’re made and cooked (depending on who’s making them), the bottom line is, they’re definitely Dirty Laundry Kitchen food. In terms of their origin, empanadas are all about using up leftovers as filling and having a hot delicious snack- two things I’m passionate about doing. When beans or meats started to get old and dry, people would add other ingredients and moisture along with lots of spices and made a tasty filling that no longer looked beautiful and appetizing. But by stuffing it into a gorgeous pastry and either baking or frying them, they become something new and wonderful unto themselves. Empanadas, the gorgeous little South American pies. I didn’t have any meat to use up when I set out to master empanadas, so I settled on a veggie filling with goat cheese. I had some sweet potatoes in the veggie drawer that had seen better days lying around and the rest was history. The good news was, it turned out that empanadas weren’t nearly as difficult as I worried about and they were oh so good. These Empanadas with Sweet Potato, Beans and Goat Cheese are perfect with a glass of red wine or a special cocktail.
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling it out
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup vegetable shortening or lard
- ⅔ cup cold water
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoon salt
- Sweet Potato Goat Cheese Filling
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. In the food processor, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Pulse a few times. Add in the shortening or lard in pieces.
- Pulse until the bits are very small.
- Mix the milk and water and pour almost all into the food processor. Pulse until it comes together. Add the rest if it’s still very dry. Remove to a floured surface.
- Form into a rectangle and cut into 30 – 36 pieces.
- Roll one piece at a time into a circle about 3 - 4 inches in diameter. It doesn’t need to be perfect; you can fix the shape when you seal it, but it helps to make the edges thin and the center a little thicker since the edges are what will be doubled over.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of the filling to the center of the circle.
- Fold in half.
- Starting at one side of the open edge, pinch the edge together and fold over.
- Repeat until you and a crimped edge that looks almost braided.
- Place on a baking sheet.
- When you have filled all the empanadas, bake them 20-25 minutes. They should be golden and the bottoms should sound hollow when tapped. Serve warm.*
- Makes 30 empanadas 3 - 4 inches long.
- *They are easy to make ahead and reheat in a 350 F oven for 7-10 minutes.
- For the dough: I used the recipe for Chilean Beef Empanadas Dough recipe in Gran Cocina Latina and I thought it was excellent. I made two batches, one with vegetable shortening and one with lard. I liked them both and thought they were both great, so suit yourself.
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 cup sweet onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 teaspoon amchur powder
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- cayenne pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Roast the sweet potatoes until very soft (about 60 minutes).
- When cool enough to handle, peel off skins and discard. Mash the potatoes with a fork.
- Meanwhile, dice the onions. Sauté in olive oil. When softened, add the white wine and cook until it’s completely evaporated. Add the cumin seeds and powder, salt, amchur powder (or lemon juice) and sauté a minute or two more.
- Remove to a large bowl. Add the black beans and the sweet potato. Let cool to room temperature.
- Add the goat cheese. Fold gently. Season to taste with salt and cayenne. If you want to make this a day ahead, it stores well.
- Makes 30 empanadas 3 - 4 inches long.
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I made these empanadas this week; they are amazing!! This is going to be a new standby recipe; great to make ahead and bring to a party. Thanks Barrett!
So glad to hear that you liked them. They’ve become a common catering request around here. And they really do reheat very well, which is always useful.