I thought pretty hard about what to make this week. For a NYC team, there are the obvious: Pizza, Cheescake, Black and White Cookies, or Egg Creams. But I thought it would be fun to do something you might find at Jewish Delicatessen. With some help from my mother's boyfriend, Joe, who was born and raised in the Bronx, I decided to make Potato Knishes. A potato dumpling of sorts, either fried or baked, these are can be bought in Jewish Delis or on the street. There are many different fillings, but the most traditional is the potato with onion.
Finding a recipe wasn't easy. There are so many, but I was attempting one as authentic as possible. I'd find one that would claim to be, and then the reviewers of the site would rip it to shreds. After reading dozens and dozens of recipes, I was ready to give up. Then I found Uncle Phaedrus, Finder of Lost Recipes. I honestly don't know how authentic this recipe is to a New York Style Knish, possibly not very, because there are a lot of people on message boards trying to find recipes for the square, fried knishes and these are baked and not square, but at least they were made with dough and not phyllo like so many of the recipes claiming to be authentic.
They were surprisingly easy to make and SO DELICIOUS! I did make one change, in order to make it a little healthier. Knishes are usually made with schmaltz, which is rendered chicken fat, or another type of fat. I used a light butter-substitute spread with half of a crumbled bouillon cube instead. Authentic? Absolutely not, but this recipe is already unhealthy enough. But so good, its worth the calories for the occassional treat. I cut the recipe below in half and it made 16 minis. We ate them with yellow mustard, as you would get them on the street.
New York Style Potato Knishes, Uncle Phaedrus
1/2 c plus 2 tbls vegetable oil
1/2 c plus 2 tbls lukewarm water
1 tsp salt
About 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 lb russet potatoes (about 3 med)
3 tbls schmaltz or other fat
1 cup yellow onions, chopped (about 2 medium)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
About 2 tsp salt
About 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
Make egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tsp water)
To make dough:
Combine oil, water and salt in large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining 1 cup flour to make a soft dough that comes away from the sides of the bowl.
Form into ball, flatten slightly, cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temp for about 30 minutes. Don't refrigerate.
To make filling:
Place unpeeled potatoes in large pot. Add water and cover. Boil until fork-tender, about 25 minutes. While still warm, peel and mash. (I peeled mine first just to make it easier.)
Heat fat in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the potatoes, then the egg, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
To assemble:
Make egg wash. Preheat over to 375, lightly grease a large baking sheet. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. For large knishes, cut into 5 X 4 rectangles, for small cut into 3 inch squares or rounds. (I used a drinking glass with a three inch rim.) Place about 1/4 cup of filling in the center of the large knishes, or about 1 tbls in the small knishes. Bring the edges together in the center, pinching to seal.
Place the knishes seam side down on the prepared baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp. (once cooled these can be frozen. to reheat, cover loosely with foil and bake at 375 oven for 15 minutes.)
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