Garlic Mashed Potato Knishes

Last week when I made schmaltz, I promised you I’d make some recipes for Jew to try with the tasty “champagne of fats”. First up, knishes. These are waaaay better than any knishes I’ve ever had before. The secret? Schmaltz of course!! The pastry dough was flaky, potato filling rich and delicious. Oh man these are too good for words. Dare I say knishes are an aphrodisiac?

I dare. Here is all Jew need.

What Is a Knish?

A knish is a filled pastry from Eastern European Jewish cooking: a round or square pocket of dough wrapped around a savory filling and then baked (or sometimes fried) until golden. Potato is the classic, though kasha, cheese, and meat all have their loyalists.

They came to America with Ashkenazi immigrants at the turn of the last century and became New York street food, sold from pushcarts on the Lower East Side and later at every deli counter and ballpark in the city. Think of a knish as a Jewish empanada, or a hand pie that decided to be a whole meal.

What makes these particular knishes different is the schmaltz. Rendered chicken fat in both the dough and the filling gives you a pastry that shatters and a potato filling with a savory depth that butter or oil simply cannot match.

Why You’ll Love These Knishes

• The schmaltz dough is unreal. Flaky, tender, and deeply savory. It is the whole reason these beat any knish you have bought.
• Roasted garlic and caramelized onions. Two slow, patient steps that turn plain mashed potato into something worth the effort.
• They are appetizer sized. Three inch rounds mean one or two bites, which makes them perfect for a party or a Hanukkah spread.
• They freeze beautifully. Make a double batch and bake them straight from the freezer whenever you need them.
• Naturally pareve friendly. Swap the schmaltz for olive oil and they work alongside any meal.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the dough:

• Schmaltz. Half a cup, in liquid form. This is the star. Make your own with my schmaltz and gribenes guide, or use vegetable oil if you must.
• Flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the flour so the dough stays light. You may not need all two cups.
• Egg. One for the dough, plus another for the egg wash that gives you that glossy golden top.

For the filling:

• Russet potatoes. One pound. Russets mash up fluffy rather than gluey, which is what you want here.
• Roasted garlic. Five whole cloves, roasted soft and sweet. Raw garlic would be far too sharp.
• Caramelized onion. One large white onion, cooked low and slow for a good 40 minutes.
• Scallions. Minced, for a fresh bite against all that richness.
• More schmaltz, eggs, salt and black pepper. The eggs bind the filling so it holds together inside the dough.

How to Make Garlic Mashed Potato Knishes

1. Make the dough. Beat 1 egg with 1/2 cup schmaltz, then add sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Knead until you have a dough that is not sticky. If you add too much flour, a splash of water brings it back. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Roast the garlic. Make a foil packet with the cloves and a drizzle of schmaltz or olive oil. Roast at 400 degrees F until soft, about 40 minutes. Then lower the oven to 375.
3. Caramelize the onion. Meanwhile, cook the sliced onion in 1 tablespoon schmaltz with 1/2 teaspoon salt over low heat until properly caramel, about 40 minutes. Low and slow, no shortcuts.
4. Boil the potatoes. Peel and cut into even pieces, cover with cold water, and boil until a knife slides in without resistance.
5. Mix the filling. Drain, cool slightly, then mash with 1/2 cup schmaltz, the scallions, roasted garlic, caramelized onions, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
6. Assemble. Roll the dough as thin as you can and cut 3 inch rounds. A cookie cutter or a wine glass both work. Put a tablespoon of filling in each and scrunch the edges up around it.
7. Egg wash and bake. Brush each knish with beaten egg and bake at 375 degrees F until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Now, roast your garlic and caramelize those onions. This is the part that takes patience, and it is worth every minute.

Ah beautiful schmaltz. Now let’s assemble! There are many ways to form knishes (check out this funny video for some ways!) but I like individual round ones.

How to Shape a Knish

There is no single correct knish shape, which is half the fun. Here are the three most common:

• Round and scrunched (what I do here). Cut a circle, add filling, and gather the edges up over the top like a little purse. Flip it seam side down.
• Square and folded. Cut squares and fold the corners into the middle. This is the shape you see in most delis.
• Rolled log. Spread filling along a long strip of dough, roll it up, then slice and pinch the ends closed. Fastest method for a crowd.

Whichever you pick, roll the dough thin. Thick dough is the number one reason a homemade knish comes out heavy.

Then wash with egg and bake at 375 degrees F until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

What to Serve With Knishes

Deli tradition says a knish wants a smear of spicy brown mustard and nothing else. I will not argue. They are also excellent alongside horseradish pickles or a bowl of matzah ball soup for a full Ashkenazi spread.

For a party, put them out with chopped liver and homemade lox. And if you like this one, my beef and sweet potato knishes are the meatier cousin.

Tips for the Best Knishes

• Chill the dough properly. An hour minimum. Cold schmaltz dough rolls thin without tearing and bakes up flakier.
• Do not rush the onions. Forty minutes on low. Browned is not the same as caramelized, and you will taste the difference.
• Cool the potatoes before adding the eggs. Hot potato plus raw egg equals scrambled egg in your filling.
• Roll thinner than feels right. The filling is the point; the dough is the wrapper.
• Seal well and place seam side down. Knishes that pop open in the oven leak filling and lose their looks.

Knish me, I’m Jewish!

How to Store and Freeze Knishes

Baked knishes keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes so the pastry crisps back up. The microwave will make them sad and soggy.

To freeze, arrange unbaked knishes on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen at 375 degrees F, adding about 10 minutes to the time. Baked knishes freeze well too and reheat the same way.

Garlic Mashed Potato Knish FAQ

What is schmaltz, and can I substitute it?

Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat, the traditional cooking fat of Ashkenazi kitchens back when butter was off limits at a meat meal and oil was expensive. It gives the dough its flake and the filling its savory backbone. You can substitute vegetable oil or olive oil one for one and still get a very good knish, just a less distinctly old world one.

Are knishes Russian or Polish?

Both, roughly. The knish traveled with Ashkenazi Jews across Eastern Europe, with versions found in Poland, Ukraine and Russia, before landing in New York with immigrants in the early 1900s. The New York knish, sold from Lower East Side pushcarts, is really its own American descendant.

Are these knishes kosher and can I make them pareve?

As written they are fleishig, since schmaltz is chicken fat. To make them pareve, swap the schmaltz for olive oil or a neutral vegetable oil in both the dough and the filling. Then they can go alongside a dairy meal or a meat one.

Why is my knish dough tough?

Usually too much flour or too much kneading. Knead just until the dough comes together and stops being sticky, and hold back some of the flour if you do not need it. Rolling the dough too thick will also give you a heavy, bready knish.

Can I make knishes ahead of time?

Yes, and they are great for it. Assemble them completely, refrigerate unbaked for up to a day, and bake when your guests arrive. Or freeze them unbaked and go straight from freezer to oven.

What is the difference between a knish and a pierogi?

A pierogi is a boiled (then often pan fried) dumpling with a thin, tender noodle style dough. A knish is baked, with a sturdier pastry dough, and is generally bigger and more of a meal. Same neighborhood of Eastern Europe, very different texture.

Can I fry knishes instead of baking them?

You can, and some old school delis do. Shallow fry them in a neutral oil until golden on both sides. They come out richer and crisper, though baking is easier and lets you cook the whole batch at once.

Garlic Mashed Potato Knishes

Amy Kritzer

The best knishes ever- thanks to our friend schmaltz!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 15 -20

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• For dough:
• 1 egg plus one for egg wash
• 1/2 cup schmaltz in liquid form (or vegetable oil)
• 2 cups flour sifted (may not use all)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Water if needed
• For filling:
• 5 cloves garlic
• Drizzle liquid schmaltz or olive oil
• 1 large white onion
• 1 Tablespoon liquid schmaltz or olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup schmaltz in liquid form
• 1 bunch scallions minced
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• First, make your dough. Beat 1 egg and 1/2 cup schmaltz, and then add in sifted flour, baking powder and salt and knead until you have a dough that is not sticky. If you add too much flour in, just add a little water to make your perfect dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Now, roast your garlic by making a packet with garlic coves and a drizzle of schmaltz or olive oil. Roast in a 400 degree oven until garlic is soft, about 40 minutes. Then lower oven to 375 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, caramelize your onions by cooking in 1 Tablespoon schmaltz or olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saute pan over low until caramel, about 40 minutes.
• Wash and peel your potatoes and cut them into even pieces. Then cover with cold water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until you can stick a knife into the potatoes and it comes out without resistance. Then strain water, cool a little, and mix with 1/4 cup schmaltz, scallions, roasted garlic, caramelized onions, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
• Ah beautiful schmaltz. Now let’s assemble! There are many ways to form knishes but I like individual round ones. Roll out your dough until it is as thin as you can get it. Then cut out 3 inch rounds (using a cookie cutter or wine glass works great!). Put a tablespoon of filling in each circle and scrunch up to make a knish.
• Then wash with egg and bake at 375 degrees F until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Notes

Prep time does not include time for dough to chill.

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