Place onion, garlic, hot pepper, salt, pepper, and thyme in skillet and cook until onions are soft.

Add sausage and cook until brown.

Remove mixture from skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving sausage fat.

Add diced potatoes to the pan and cook and stir until potatoes are soft.

Add them to the meat mixture.

Let mixture cool.

Add cheese and mix ingredients well.

Make pie dough and roll as thin as possible.

Cut dough into 4 inch circles or squares.

Place two tablespoons of filling in each piece of dough, leaving ½ inch of dough around filling.

Fold dough over filling and fold dough over and pinch about every ½ inch until the entire empanada is sealed.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until crust is browned.

You can brush them with an egg wash for a shiny crust.

1 egg with 1 T. water whisked well.

If you wish you use the empanadas later, you can freeze them on the cookie sheet for two hours.

Take off sheet and place in tightly sealed container.

Bake frozen at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.