I think the combination in the recipe sounds good. Most recipes that I've tasted that have sweet and salty elements together are winners to me. Try making it to test it out.

You may want to search for a black bean dip. One that I had at a family gathering was sooo good, but alas family member would not share the recipe. She promised the person that shared it with her that she would not divulge the ingredients. I know it had plenty fresh garlic and some of the beans were creamed and some were whole. It was served warm.

Thae answer I was about to post disappeared. Bad computer!

The filling sounds better for those bourekes than the crust. Flaky housemade pastry, yes. Packaged puff, no. Just no. We use filo. Cut into long strips, two at a time, brushed with oil, and rolled like a flag. Best way to do pastry dough as well, without the brushing (the fat is already in the pastry dough). Puff, no. It's hard to be sure given the proportions, but it reads to me like a dilled cheese fillling dotted with bits of olive in a sweet potato carrier, with the sweet part to counter the sourness of the cheese and olives. If you have the right kind of feta, it could be really good, in the right proportion, but I'd never ever make this first time for company. Try it, adjust, get the filling the way you like it, and text the dough, and then make it the thing everybody wants you to bring.

Or you could do pâte à choux puffs, filled with veg bits or mushroom bits in a gravy, cheese sauce, or any other carrier you like. You don't need to pipe them. You can slice the top 3/4 of the way off, pull out any inner membranes and fill with a spoon.

Or look through ethnic vegetarian recipes. There are a lot of things that can be made bite sized, and are really different from the usual.

The filling sounds yum! I agree about the pastry- personally I’d try a crumbly shortcrust, but that’s me.

i’d also leave the filling a little chunky.

These samosas sound delicious https://www.recipetineats.com/samosa-recipe/ and these http://gourmetpedia.net/recipes/shrimp-samosas/ for simplicity, we often use sheets of brick or filo. But the dough in the first recipe is so good.

Thanks, everyone, for the replies!

orchidrain, I'll look around for a hot black bean dip recipe like you describe... I brought a white bean dip once and a few people went nuts for it, so I know that some of them really like beans.

plllog, that's funny -- I was thinking I'd make my own pastry... I don't recall ever using puff, and I've never cared for filo at all. lol! But if a recipe sounds good to me, I wouldn't hesitate to try it the first time, on the fly, for this group. They're all adventurous and they like food and they're always looking to try something new. I'm the primary appetizer maker. I usually get a request for one or two things that are somebody's favorite, and I like to always bring at least one new thing to try. I don't think I would ever do choux puffs for this group though -- another friend brought them to every one of their gatherings, no matter the time of year. (mine are better. lol!)

colleenoz, I didn't even look beyond the ingredients list, just to think about the flavors, but yes to chunky. For whatever reason, I just don't want the dill in that mix. I don't currently have feta, so I can't even try a little experiment. And sadly, I don't know where to find really good feta around here anymore, so it was probably a bad recipe to consider in the first place. :p

Islay Corbel, I haven't made samosas in ages! -- that sounds good to me. I'll check those recipes.

Thank you all. As usual, this is a case of trying to find something to suit the majority of the group. They are an odd group that doesn't seem to like appetizers with meat! I've tried charcuterie boards that were hardly touched, so I generally steer away from beef, pork/bacon, and any cured or processed meat of any kind. They also don't seem to go for pickles, olives, or things like that. They do seem to love ALL salsas and chips, cheese or anything made with cheese, most dips, fruits, and anything baked. lol!

I think I'd prefer winter squash in the place of sweet potatoes.

Old favorite recipe here, but these are really good and travel well (easily served at room temp). Can also be made well ahead to freeze. Also pretty on a platter with little Caprese skewers of cherry tomatoes, boccconcini and basil leaves.

Spinach Balls

2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 eggs, beaten
2 c. herb stuffing mix
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, minced (1/4 to 1/3 cup)
1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
3/4 c. butter, melted
salt and pepper

Squeeze liquid from spinach (use a ricer if you have one). Mix all the ingredients well and chill for 2 hours. Roll into 1" balls. Freeze on cookie sheet, and then store in platic bags till needed. Thaw before baking. Bake at preheated 325 for 25-30 mim. They're great warm or room temp.

Note: Make one ball after mixing to bake and taste in order to check seasoning. You may want to adjust.

Ther’s always potato filling for samosas 😋

Usually a potato carrier for bourekes, too, but squash could work if it's dry enough. We use pure potato flakes (dehydrated potatoes) to control the moisture.

Ugh! I lost my long reply and have had internet connectivity problems for hours. Like Arnold says, I’ll be back. :0)

Personally, I would substitute Yukon Gold potatoes for sweet potatoes, but then I do not like sweet potatoes except in a dessert pie or by themselves. I cannot imagine feta with sweet potatoes, but then I do not like the combination of sweet and salty.

I like spinach and feta in spanakopita, and that travels well.

party, yes, it’s an old recipe, for sure. They always disappear pdq!

Feta and dill go great together, and both are good with ancient olives. The sweet potato is the kicker for the combo, but you could use white potato or flakes as the carrier and sweeten to taste. I think the sweet potato will be fine (and Food and Wine's recipes are usually pretty good), but I don't think you're supposed to taste it much beyond the sweet countering all the sour. Go for it! With your own flaky pastry, And let us know how it goes. ;)

Here, vegetarian quiches and frittatas often have cubes of sweet potato or pumpkin and feta as the flavouring ingredients. I love it.

chloebud, they always disappeared here too.

plllog, I don’t remember ever having dill with feta! but kalamatas served with feta is common here. Add cucumbers or lettuces, some tomatoes, and something vinegary to dress it and I’m happy. :) I’m not set on this recipe yet. I’m also thinking about using einkorn flour. It just naturally wants to puff in a recipe like this.

colleenoz, Yes! I discovered that eggs and sweet potatoes make a great combination when I made an omelette this summer with leftover hunks of roasted sweet potato and chopped garlic scapes. Yum!