I LOVE empanadas anytime of the year. You can’t go wrong with these and you can choose whatever ground meat you have on hand – ground beef, ground pork, or ground lamb. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Prep Time : 30 minutes
Cook Time : 20-30 minutes
Makes : 8-10 hand pie-sized empanadas

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups masa corn flour
• 2 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling –

• 1 pound Five Marys Farms ground beef, ground pork, or ground lamb
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 quart neutral oil for frying

Chimichurri –

• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 cup flat parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice of one lime
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

To prepare the dough, in a mixing bowl, combine the masa, water, and salt. Allow to set up, covered, for 30 minutes while you make the filling.

In a large skillet, brown the meat, onion, spices, and herbs on low heat. In a small saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and simmer for 15 minutes until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and add them to the meat mixture. Transfer the meat and potatoes to a bowl, then smash the potatoes into the meat with a fork. Allow the meat mixture to cook to room temperature.

There are many methods to making empanadas, but one of the easiest is to get a large golf ball-sized chunk of dough and, with slightly dampened hands, press the dough as if making a thin hamburger patty. Continue to rotate the dough until it’s at least 5-6 inches in diameter. Place 2 tablespoons of meat filling in the center, then fold the masa around the meat, sealing it in the shape of a taco. Press and mold the empanada until it is fully sealed. Repeat this process until you have 8-10 empanadas.

In a large heavy bottom pot, heat the quart of oil to 350 degrees F. Place 3 empanadas into the oil at a time and fry until crisp and golden, about 5-8 minutes. Drain the finished empanadas on paper towels. Sprinkle with sea salt. Dip in hot sauce or chimichurri to serve.

To make the chimichurri, mix all sauce components in a food processor to blender to desired consistency.

ENJOY!