"Healthier" Beef and Shredded Sweet Potato Samosa

This was my first attempt at samosas and I was pretty proud of the out come. Mind you I love a good, greasy and tasty samosa from an Indian take away any day (shout out to India's Taste in Brampton! 3 for $1). However, I am not equipped or talented enough to even try and make a authentic samosa myself. 

I wanted the same sort of flavour but "the lighter fare". Try these "healthier" samosa made with ground beef and shredded sweet potatoes. Of course any combination will work! I have yet to experiment with the flavours. I think my next recipe with be vegetarian. 

I've used phyllo instead of the traditional pastry used. I've baked then instead of frying in a pot of oil. 
You will still get that crispy and flavourful treat in the end!

Note: the phyllo was really tough to work with but I swear it's worth it. Just make sure you cover the unused phyllo with a damp cloth or kitchen towel while you're working with the one you have on your prep area. This is to avoid drying up the phyllo. Follow the directions the box you buy says.


Ingredients:
1 tsp coconut oil
345g extra lean ground beef
1/2 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
1 shallot
3 garlic gloves
1 large sweet potato, shredded (using a grater)
1 cup frozen carrots, peas, corn and beans mixture (comes all in one bag in the frozen aisle)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garam masala
4 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp sesame seeds
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F

• In a large skillet, toast mustard seeds until it starts popping.Take out of the pan and set aside. (This is to release the oils of the seeds ...giving it more flavour)
• In the same pan, heat up the coconut oil. Saute the shallots and garlic until translucent. Take out of the pan and set aside. 
• Now, cook up the ground beef until it's cooked thoroughly. Add a bit more coconut oil if needed.
• Add back the mustard seeds and shallot and garlic. 
• Add the shredded sweet potatoes and frozen vegetables
• Add all of the spices and seasoning all at once
• Toss until the vegetables are cooked
• Set aside and let cool
• When your phyllo has thawed, work with 3 sheets at a time (brushing butter in between for the sheets to stick together). Layer these 3 sheets on top of each other and divide the sheet (long side) into 3 sections. You should have 3 long phyllo sheets but thinner than what you started with.
• Fold one corner into the long side, making a small and initial cone shape.
• Spoon in about 3 tablespoons of the filling and pack it in.
• When your phyllo cone is filled, start rolling the cone into a triangle and continue until you're at the end.
• Seal with melted butter
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top
• Bake for 15 mins or until the samosas are golden brown.

Serve with your favourite dipping sauce! I loved this with caramelized onion chutney