This recipe didn't come together easily. I had been meditating on a sort of savory vegetarian empanada recipe for some time now, inspired perhaps by the abundance of sweet potatoes from our CSA this fall that we are (still) trying to use. The lentil/sweet potato/goat cheese combination was there from the beginning, but it wasn't going to be easy on me. And it took us more than a few tries before we finally found the right balance of flavors and textures that worked and didn't leave you wishing for a greasy meat filling instead. But we did it, and the result is as delicious as it is unique. While we typically turn to the more common brown lentil or even the beautiful French green lentil, this time we tried something new: the black beluga lentil. Named for it's resemblance to caviar (I assume), it keeps its shape and texture better than the other varieties. If you have to substitute another variety, just make sure you don't overcook them, otherwise they will turn into a starchy mush.

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