Potato, Pepper, and Lamb Empanadas

We made empanadas in my cooking class a few months back and I am finally getting around to trying them on my own. The recipe is my cooking teacher, Art's. It is really delicious and I love the crust in this one. This is a great weekend recipe because it does take awhile to prepare, but it can be frozen and it is really delicious. This recipe is totally versatile. Usually empanadas are made with Chorizo sausage, but I don't really care for the taste of it so I decided to give ground lamb a try. You could do this with Italian sausage or Andouille sausage, or ground beef or chicken. You could leave the meat out all together and add different veggies like broccoli or asparagus or even feta cheese. You could go in a different direction and use pepperoni and cheese and make a hot pocket with the dough recipe. You just want to make sure all ingredients are finely chopped so they will fit into the crust. You are the boss here, recipes are only guides. You do not have to stick to them by the ingredient. 

I used my food processor for the dough, but if you do not have one, you can still make it. The recipe for that is at the bottom of this post with the complete recipe. The best way to cut your butter is to put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Cut long ways into thirds, flip it and cut that side into thirds, then chop the short end into small cubes. Add flour, salt, and butter into processor and pulse until mixture has pea-size butter lumps. Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Pour into flour mixture and pulse until dough has come together into a ball. Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently with the heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

Making the dough

For the filling, brown whatever meat you decide to use in a skillet until cooked through. Drain the grease from the meat in a colander once meat is finished cooking.

Ground lamb cooking

Add your finely chopped onions to the same skillet with a few drizzles of EVOO and cook until yellow and tender, about 15 minutes.

Onions cooking

When onions are yellow and tender, add bell pepper (whatever color you like), two bay leaves, salt, garlic, and oregano. When you add the oregano, put it in the palm of your hand and rub it together with your other hand and let it drop in the pot. This will 'wake it up'. Cook until peppers are tender, about 15 minutes. Add more EVOO if needed.

Onions, bell pepper, garlic, salt, oregano, and bay leaves

For my salt, I had made some basil salt the other day so I used this. All you do is add 1/4 cup Kosher salt and 1/4 cup packed, fresh basil leaves in a food processor, process until basil leaves are shredded, put mixture in a 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes, stirring once half way through or until salt and basil are dry. Let cool then store in a salt shaker.

Basil Salt

When peppers are tender, add your finely diced potatoes to the onion mixture and cook over moderately low heat stirring frequently until potatoes are just barely tender (10-12 minutes). 

Potatoes, onions, bell pepper, garlic, salt, oregano, and bay leaves 

Add potato mixture and cooked lamb to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Cool filling to room temperature and discard bay leaves.

Cooling filling to room temp

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces (the best that you can, it does not have to be perfect) and form each into a disk. 

Diving dough

Keeping remaining pieces covered, roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 5" round (about 1/8" thick) disk.

Rolling a single disk

Spoon about 2 tbsp filling onto center and fold dough in half, enclosing filling. Empanadas should look like little half moons, but I like to leave mine more rectangled because I like the extra crust it makes on the ends.  

Adding the filling

Press edges together, then crimp decoratively with your fingers or tines of a fork. Transfer empanada to a baking sheet. Make 11 more empanadas in the same manner.

Crimping the edges of a filled empanada 

If you want to freeze your empanadas, stop here and put them in a freezer baggie. When you want to eat them, brush them with egg wash and put into the oven. Lightly brush empanadas with some of egg wash and bake in oven, turning baking sheet once half way through, until golden brown (about 25 minutes). 

All empanadas egg washed courtesy of one hungry husband 

Transfer empanadas to a rack to cool at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fresh out of the oven!

Finally time to eat! 

Empanada Dough
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2" cubes
1 large egg
1/3 cup ice water
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar

Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles course meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. This can also be done in a food processor with the dough blade.
Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (mixture will look shaggy.) If using food processor, dump mixture into flour and pulse until dough has come together.
Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with the heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

Empanada Filling
1 lb ground Lamb
2 tbsp EVOO
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, finely chopped
1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water (this is for the egg wash)

Make filling:
Cook lamb in a skillet over medium heat until it is no longer pink. When cooked through, transfer to a collander and drain grease. Add onions and EVOO to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and very soft (about 15 minutes). Add garlic, bell pepper, bay leaves, salt, and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until peppers are very soft (about 15 minutes). Peel potato and cut into 1/2" pieces, then stir into onion mixture and cook over moderately low heat stirring frequently until potatoes are just barely tender (10-12 minutes). Add potato mixture and cooked lamb to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Cool filling to room temperature and discard bay leaves.
Form and bake empanadas:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and form each into a disk. Keeping remaining pieces covered, roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 5" round (about 1/8" thick) disk.
Spoon about 2 tbsp filling onto center and fold dough in half, enclosing filling. Press edges together, then crimp decoratively with your fingers or tines of a fork. Transfer empanada to a baking sheet. Make 11 more empanadas in the same manner.
Lightly brush empanadas with some of the egg wash and bake in oven, turning baking sheet once half way through, until golden brown (about 25 minutes). Transfer empanadas to a rack to cool at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.Pin It