Thankful for empanadas

The empanadas that I made for the boy's fifth grade Thanksgiving feast were good to the last crumb, so I decided to make more.

Did I mention that I have food obsessions that can last for months?  And I was definitely inspired by the blog From Argentina With Love which features an empanada of the month -- how fun!

Since I had some discos grande con color leftover (and how I hate waste), I pulled out a pack of ground beef, chopped up an onion, some cilantrro, peeled and cubed some potatoes, then fried it all up in a pan. 

And boy was it bland!  Boring, to tell the truth.

So I added a dash of cumin, some sweet paprika, a pinch of tumeric, a smidgen of garam masala, a touch of curry powder, and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.  Suddenly, things were lively!

I had to guard them from my son to get them to the dinner we were invited to yesterday.  Yes, they were that good. 

I crimped my empanadas with the tines of a fork which makes an attractive finish, but is not nearly as beautiful as the hand-rolled edges shown in the video above.  Next time, when I'm less pressed to finish, I'm using this gorgeous method.

Curried Beef Empanadas

1 pound ground beef
4 medium potatoes, peeled and finely cubed
2 tbs chopped cilantro
2 t sweet paprika
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 t garam masala
2 t curry powder
1 t tumeric
2 t ground cumin
1 t salt
1 t ground cayenne

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Brown ground beef over medium heat, then drain and return to pan, adding potato, garlic, herbs and spices.  Cook until potatoes are tender.  Cool slightly before stuffing empanada pastries.

Brush stuffed empanadas with beaten egg and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Serve with spicy mint chutney.  Makes 10-15.