Welcome to the week leading up to the Super Bowl. I won’t pretend to be a die-hard football fan — for me the real excitement is the food. If the Super Bowl existed only as an excuse to eat, I’d be all in. To celebrate, I’m sharing a lineup of hearty, snackable recipes for Dude Food Week: four bold appetizer-style dishes throughout the week and a Super Bowl roundup on Friday.
We’ll start strong with Monte Cristo Empanadas served with a Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce. If you haven’t met a Monte Cristo before, think of it as a hybrid of French toast and a ham-and-cheese sandwich — a cousin of the French Croque-Monsieur. A traditional Monte Cristo is a ham, Swiss (or Gruyère), and sometimes turkey sandwich dipped in beaten egg and fried, often finished with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar to play up the sweet-salty contrast.
These empanadas capture that same flavor in a portable, finger-food format. The filling combines chopped baked ham and roast turkey with shredded Swiss, a touch of Dijon, and mayonnaise to bind. The filling is sealed into empanada wrappers, brushed with beaten egg, and either deep-fried or baked until golden. Surprisingly, even when fried they feel lighter than a classic Monte Cristo. A light dusting of confectioner’s sugar after cooking is optional but recommended — it brightens the ham and completes the Monte Cristo profile.
This idea came from Mr. Evil Genius, who suggested turning Ham and Swiss Empanadas into Monte Cristos. Since he’s my go-to taste tester for Dude Food ideas, I gave it a try — and we were all glad I did.
Monte Cristo Empanadas with Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce
Rebecca Lindamood
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Ingredients
For the Monte Cristo Empanadas:
- 1 cup well chopped or diced baked ham
- 1 cup well chopped roast turkey
- 3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 15-20 frozen empanada wrappers, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 inches of oil (peanut, canola, or vegetable) for frying
- confectioner’s sugar for dusting
For the Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
To Make the Monte Cristo Empanadas:
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In a bowl, mix the ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, Dijon, and mayonnaise until evenly combined. The filling can be prepared a few hours ahead if desired.
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If frying, heat the oil in a high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until it bubbles around a test piece of wrapper. If baking, preheat oven to 375°F and prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet.
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Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each empanada wrapper. Fold the edges up around the filling and crimp to seal; you can fold them decoratively if you like. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.
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Brush both sides of each empanada with beaten egg. To fry: carefully lower a few empanadas into the hot oil, leaving room for them to move. Fry 2 minutes per side, or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels and continue with remaining empanadas. To bake: place egg-washed empanadas on the prepared sheet and bake 24–28 minutes, until puffy and golden.
To Make the Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce:
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Stir together the mayonnaise and Dijon until smooth and evenly colored. Refrigerate up to 24 hours before serving.
To Serve:
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Lightly dust the warm empanadas with confectioner’s sugar and serve with the Creamy Dijon Dipping Sauce.
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use with your preferred tool.
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