Tag Archives: cajun spiced potato empanada recipe

Cajun Spiced Potato Empanadas

empanada 5I created this empanada in hopes of Max liking them.  He loves cajun spiced fries.  He loved fried potatoes.  He needs to eat less fried foods (as in: frozen tater tots and fries).  So I thought some cajun spiced empanadas would be just the ticket.  Flavors he likes all neatly packaged up in dough.

He didn’t like the filling because it was too mushy.  However – we loved the filling!  I made twice as much filling as I needed to fill the empanadas but I’m going to present the recipe here just as I made it because the leftovers make a fantastic breakfast.  If you don’t like leftovers (WHAT?!) then halve this recipe.

Cajun Spiced Potato Empanadas

Serving Size: 24 empanadas plus amazing leftovers for breakfast

Cajun Spiced Potato Empanadas

Ingredients

  • 1 batch of empanada dough
  • 4 russet potatoes, peeled and diced small
  • 3 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 tsp cajun seasoning, plus extra for dusting dough
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 egg whisked with a little water for brushing the dough

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of water fitted with a steaming basket to a boil and steam the diced potatoes until tender and just falling apart.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375°.
  3. While potatoes are steaming, heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onions. Saute onions until they are translucent and soft.
  4. In a large bowl mix the potatoes, onion (scraping any extra oil into the bowl from the pan), and the seasonings really well.
  5. Roll out the empanada dough according to the instructions in the recipe. Fill each round with a couple of teaspoons of potatoes (adjust according to the size of your empanadas - you want them filled as full as you can while still being able to close the dough shut without leaking the filling out).
  6. Place empanadas on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper.
  7. Brush them with the egg and water and then sprinkle a little cajun spice on each one.
  8. Bake for 25 minutes

Notes

The way I've made these isn't that spicy. My cajun spices are mild and I only added a little cayenne. You can ramp up the spiciness as much as you like.

I used an actual teaspoon to fill mine. If you use a real teaspoon instead of a measuring teaspoon then you just want a scant teaspoon. That is - if you are making small empanadas. I have no idea how much you will need in each empanada if yours are a different size than I made mine. Just wing it. You can do it.

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