Chorizo and Potato Empanaditas

1. In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook potato until just cooked through, 3 minutes. Drain.

2. Crumble or finely chop chorizo meat. In a heavy skillet, cook chorizo over medium heat, stirring, 5 minutes. Add drained potato, oregano, and salt to taste and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Cool filling completely. (The filling can be made 2 days ahead and kept, covered and chilled, or frozen for 2 weeks.)

3. Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. In a large bowl, stir together masa harina and 1 1/4 cups warm water until a dough forms. Pinch off small pieces of dough and shape into about 40 (1-inch) balls. Transfer balls to the baking sheet and cover with more plastic wrap.

4. With a tortilla press (lined with squares of plastic wrap to prevent sticking), press a ball of dough to a 2 1/2-inch round. (Or flatten dough between squares of plastic using a rolling pin.) Put a rounded teaspoon of filling in center of round. Fold round over filling to form a half moon and pinch edges together to seal. Transfer empanadita to a separate baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (Empanaditas may be prepared up to this point and kept, covered with plastic wrap, chilled 1 day or frozen 1 week. Thaw turnovers 1 hour before proceeding.)

5. In a large saucepa, heat 1 inch oil until it registers 375°F on a deep-fat thermometer. In batches of 8 to 10, fry empanaditas until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Make sure oil returns to 375°F before adding next batch. Serve empanaditas hot.