Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich

Colombian empanadas are typically quite small — a couple of bites each — and have a crisp corn crust. There are a wide range of fillings you’ll find across Colombia, but this meat-and-potato mixture is the most common. Small yellow potatoes called papas criollas are the potato of choice here, but they are nearly impossible to find in the United States, so I use Yukon Gold instead. My wife’s family typically keeps the seasonings simple — salt, pepper and a dash of paprika — though many recipes include cumin or Triguisar, a powdered seasoning mix that contains ground cumin, paprika, achiote, turmeric and garlic. I season my filling with a little chicken bouillon, but you could use plain salt instead. The filling uses half an onion and half a tomato, so save the other half for the fresh, cilantro-based ají, to serve with the empanadas.

Featured in: A Colombian Chef Shares His Secret To Better Empanadas. 

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