Take a smart shortcut with store-bought puff pastry sheets and enjoy these delicious pies in one hour!
Ingredients
2sheetspuff pastry(1 box), defrosted in the refrigerator
1lbsweet potatoes(2 medium sized ones), cooked Note 1
1tablespoonolive oil
½cupchopped onion(1 medium sized onion or ½ of a large onion)
1teaspoonminced garlic(4 fat cloves)
1tablespoonbrown sugar
1teaspoonchipotle chili powderNote 2
½teaspoonground cumin
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonblack pepper
1large eggbeaten with 1 tablespoon water
1teaspoonkosher saltoptional
Instructions
Cook sweet potatoes until soft. See Note 1 for different cooking methods.
In a shallow bowl, place sweet potatoes, peeled, and mash them with a potato masher until smooth.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chopped onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and slightly golden around the edges.
Add minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
Stir in brown sugar, chipotle chili powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for another 30 to 45 seconds till the spices are toasted and onions have caramelized.
Add the onion mix to the mashed sweet potatoes and mix well. Keep the filling aside.
Prepare an egg wash by whisking a large egg with a tablespoon of water.
Unfold one sheet of the cold puff pastry on a well-floured cutting board. Using a rolling pin, roll the sheet into a rough 12-inch square.
Now, using 5-inch round cookie cutter, cut 4 dough circle from 12-inch square of puff pastry. (You can also use a dessert plate as a template and a sharp paring knife to cut out 4 dough circles.)
Place two heaping tablespoons of sweet potato filling on each circle, leaving an inch border.
Brush the edges with egg wash.
Fold over the dough to create a half circle and seal and crimp the edges by pressing with a fork.
Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Arrange the empanadas on the prepared baking sheet.
Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt (optional).
Cut two tiny slits on the empanadas for the steam to escape.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden.
Serve hot with chimichurri sauce or your favorite salsa.
Notes
Note 1: Here are few ways to cook sweet potatoes:
Oven method: Rub sweet potatoes with oil and prick all over with a fork. Place it in a 425°F preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or till tender.
Microwave method: Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Place it in a microwave. Microwave for 2 minutes. Turn them over and microwave for another 2 minutes at full powder till tender. Tested on a 1200-watt microwave. Add 1 minute extra, per side, if your microwave has lower power.
Stovetop method: Peel and cut sweet potatoes into bite-size pieces. Add a cup of water to a pot of water, fitted with a steamer basket. Add sweet potatoes to the steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil. Cover and let it steam for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Pressure cooker method: Pressure cook whole, unpeeled sweet potatoes for 15 minutes, with 10 minutes of natural release in Instant Pot.
Note 2: If you don’t have chipotle chili powder, use a combination of ½ teaspoon smoked paprika and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Or if you prefer milder filling, just use 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika.