Samosas are East Indian savory stuffed pastries that are traditionally fried and served by street vendors as snacks. This version uses a rich cream-cheese pastry and is baked instead of fried.

In India, samosas are most often filled with potatoes and peas, or sometimes with meat. But in this recipe, you’ll bite through the little half-moon-shaped pastry into a luscious sweet-potato filling.

These samosas are delicious either as a snack or as an hors d’oeuvre, and they can also be made ahead of time and frozen — just make sure to thaw them before baking. The dipping sauce is optional, but we highly recommend it!

Steps

1. Prepare the pastry: Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Gradually work in the flour and salt until the mixture comes together in a ball. Wrap in plastic, flatten, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You can make this dough up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it for up to a month.)
2. Prepare the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the lime juice, ginger, garlic, salt, and cardamom; continue cooking until the onions are soft and translucent, 2 more minutes.
3. Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl. Add the mashed sweet potato and combine well. Set aside to cool (if the filling is too warm, the dough won’t hold up well).
4. Make the samosas: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper.
5. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about ⅛-inch thick. Using about a 3-inch round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut circles in the dough as close together as possible. Set the dough circles aside as you make more. Refrigerate the dough scraps, re-roll when chilled, and cut more circles. If the rounds soften too much, chill them before filling.
6. Place a scant tablespoon of the sweet-potato filling in the center of a dough circle. Fold the circle in half to form a half-moon shape. Tightly seal the edges and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining filling and dough.
7. Bake until the edges are lightly golden, about 20 minutes.
8. Make the dipping sauce: While the samosas are baking, combine all the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
9. Serve the samosas warm or at room temperature.