Love pastries that are both sweet and savory? You need to try these amazing apple, sweet potato and bacon turnovers. Perfect for Thanksgiving.
When I first began baking I thought everything needed to look perfect. Every cupcake had to be frosted evenly with a uniform peak on top.
The tart dough needed to blind bake evenly. Even lines, matching shapes. Perfection was a sign of a successful recipe.
But now I kind of feel the opposite. I think there’s more beauty in imperfections.
These apple, sweet potato and bacon turnovers are a great example of this. They’re definitely not identical in shape and size.
Some are darker than others. Some may even be a little bit too dark. I didn’t measure out the filling closely so some are thicker than others.
And yet I think they’re absolutely lovely. The light catches each turnover in a slightly different way and the gently warped edges are whimsical and fun.
They taste wonderful.
I used to spend a lot of time focusing on precision in my baked goods. And sometimes I still do.
I really like my layer cakes to have flat sides and even amounts of frosting. But for something like a turnover, there’s more beauty in the imperfections.
Apple, Sweet Potato and Bacon Turnovers
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, approximately 2 medium, peeled and diced
- 8 strips bacon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large gala apples
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- kosher salt
- 2 sheets puff pastry
- flour for dusting
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of water and cook sweet potatoes until soft, approximately 10 minutes (the smaller the dice, the faster they will cook). Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon over low heat to render out the fat and then turn the heat up to medium and cook for several minutes until crisp but not overdone. Allow the bacon to drain well on a paper towel. Dice the bacon and set aside.
- Peel, core and coarsely chop the apples. In a dutch oven or heavy bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat and then add the apples. Toss to coat the apples and then add the nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cook the apples, stirring frequently, until the are lightly caramelized and soft but not mushy. Set aside.
- Mash the sweet potatoes and stir in the maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lightly dust a clean surface with flour and roll out one chilled sheet of puff pastry (keep the other sheet in the refrigerator until the last second). You will want to work swiftly with the dough before it becomes to soft. Square off the dough if necessary with a bench scraper or pizza cutter and slice into 6 even squares.
- Place a small spoonful of the sweet potatoes inside one of the squares. Top with a larger spoonful of apples and a sprinkle of chopped bacon. Make sure to leave some space between the filling and the sides of the dough so that the turnover can be sealed once it's folded. Repeat this process with all 6 pieces of dough.
- Fold the dough over from corner to corner into a triangle shape. Use a fork to press the edges together and seal in the filling.
- Place the turnovers on a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- Repeat the same process with the second sheet of puff pastry and the remainder of the filling, placing the turnovers onto the second prepared baking sheet (any leftover filling is delicious by itself).
- Whisk the egg together with a splash of water and a pinch of salt.
- Remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator and use a small knife to poke 3 holes in the top of each turnover. Use a pastry brush to spread a thin layer of egg wash over each turnover.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the dough is cooked through and golden brown on top.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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You’re killing me, this is something like a pastry we can get back home…and now I want one :( I’m putting this on my (huge) bucket list…
Bring your family to DC for a visit and I’ll make you some!
I think these are completely beautiful! They’re perfect in their imperfection. Not to mention the filling sounds incredible :)
And they look wonderful! I am all for imperfections. ….in cooking, and in people.
Perfectly imperfect!
They look perfect to me!! Either way, this combination of flavors is most definitely perfect – yum :)
“beauty in the imperfections” Jen that’s lovely writing as well as amazing photos.
What a terrific combination of flavors. Everything goes better with bacon!
Thanks!
It’s a bit like picking your battles isn’t it ;D The turnovers look all the more delicious for their rustic differences!
I love the rustic look of things.
I am making these for 2 toddlers. Do you think they’ll keep in the fridge or freezer for quick toddler lunch?
I would try freezing them.
So delicious! Made these for dinner tonight. I added some caramelized onions that were already in the fridge and it added to such a great combination of flavors!
These are incredible. I love the flaky pastry and the filling which is a delightful surprise!
I have been looking for a recipe just like this!! I’m so happy I stumbled across this….these are going to go great with a big pot of soup this winter. ;)
Personally, I didn’t care for this recipe much. I followed it to the letter. The turnovers were tasteless and completely lacked sweetness. I feel like I wasted some perfectly good puff pastry. I would never make these again without some serious tweaking.
I’m so sorry you weren’t happy with the recipe :( I’m surprised they lacked sweetness and taste since you used sweet apples, sweet potatoes and maple syrup. You could always try a different sweet apple variety like honeycrisp, a bit more maple syrup, and a saltier bacon for balance.