Lunch: Sweet Corn & Bacon Empanadas

I’d been dying to put my stash of refrigerated pie dough to use, and these finger-friendly appetizers featured in a recent issue of Cuisine at Home were the perfect solution. I spiced up the mix of sweet corn and bacon with roasted chilies that I charred

Ingredients

2 large chile peppers (of desired heat)
3 strips bacon
2 cups frozen yellow sweet corn
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 package pie dough (two 15-oz. sheets)
1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon water
Pinch of smoked paprika

Instructions

Roast the chile peppers by holding them over an open flame until the skin is completely charred. (Alternate method: Preheat the oven to 400 ºF and roast the peppers on a baking sheet for 20 minutes, flipping them over once while roasting).
Place the roasted chiles in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Sweat the peppers for 10 minutes.
Peel the chiles then slice them in half, scraping out the seeds and removing the stem.
Dice the chiles and place them in a bowl.
Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove the cooked bacon and reserve 1 Tablespoon of the grease.
Chop the cooked bacon and add it to the bowl with the diced chilies.
Add the corn, along with the reserved bacon grease, into the pan and saute for 8-10 minutes until it begins to brown slightly.
Add the diced chiles, chopped bacon, shredded Cheddar cheese and chopped scallions into the pan with the corn. Toss to combine.
Refrigerate the corn mixture until it has completely cooled.
Preheat the oven to 400 ºF.
Unroll one sheet of the pie dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a cookie cutter (or trace around a large drinking glass) to cut out 3 1/2" circles.
Arrange the dough circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Add 1 Tablespoon of the corn filling in the center of each dough round then fold the rounds in half. Use a fork to crimp the edges and seal the empanada closed.
Beat the egg yolk with the water. Brush the tops of the empanadas with the egg wash then sprinkle with a pinch of smoked paprika.
Bake until golden, about 15-18 minutes.

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