Empanadas de Papas

I found this recipe over at Moosewood Cooks. I've been trying to find a winner empanada recipe for a while and this one fit the bill. The only downside was that the dough was not super easy to work with, and I ended up having lots of filling left and no dough to put it in. We barely got a picture of the finished product because they were so tasty.


Ingredients:

Filling: 

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup corn, fresh, frozen, or canned (drained)
• 1/2 cup chopped pimientos
• 1 cup cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup grated mild cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Dough:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine, or vegetable oil
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

1. To make the filling, in a small pot, cook the potatoes in water to cover until soft.
2. Drain them well and mash them with a potato masher or wooden spoon.
3. In a large frying pan, saute the onions and bell peppers in the oil.
4. Season with the cumin, black pepper, salt, and cayenne.
5. When the vegetables begin to soften, stir in the corn.
6. Continue to saute until all the vegetables are tender, then transfer them to a large bowl and add the pimientos.
7. While the vegetables are still hot, vigorously mix in the mashed potatoes, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese.
8. For the dough, in a large bowl, mix together the water, vinegar, and salt.
9. Add the flour and melted butter. Mix well and work the dough a bit with your hands.
10. Turn the dough out onto a flat surface and form it into a large, long roll.
11. Cut it into eight equal pieces.
12. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out each piece into a 6- or 7-inch circle.
13. Place about 1/2 cup of filling on each circle leaving about a 1/2-inch border.
14. Wet the edge of half of each circle to help the dough seal well.
15. Then fold the dough over the filling to form semicircles and crimp the edges with the tines of a fork.
16. In about one inch of oil, heated to 360°, fry both sides of each pastry until golden brown.
17. Drain the empanadas on paper towels.

Notes about this recipe:


1. I ate mine with avocado slices. 
2. I omitted the pimientos, because I couldn't figure out where they were at the store. I now know what they are and have a better idea of where to look in the store for next time.
3. I also left out the cheese and had my hubby just sprinkle it on top of his, if he wanted it.