A classic potato knish is a must have nosh, where a flavored potato mixture is encased in a delicate, flaky pastry. Beautifully golden on the outside, and tender on the inside. Enjoy this knish recipe warm, room temperature, or even cold!
Like so many Jewish foods, potato knishes have a rich backstory. We’re talking about that today, along with the recipe that includes step-by-step photos and a video tutorial.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make New York knish, today is your lucky day! Finding recipes for potato knishes is few and far between, and the ones available seem very…unreliable. So I’ve really been experimenting to get this one right – I’ve made so many batches of homemade potato knish, it’s slightly obscene. The good news is, I perfected it for all of you, so you don’t need to spend days and weeks searching, and I provide step by step photos and a video tutorial. Huzzah!
Full disclosure: Making potato knishes is not quick. Between the dough, the potato mixture, sautéing the onions, forming them, and baking, plan on spending a couple hours. But it’s worth it! The best part is knishes can be enjoyed warm, room temperature, and even cold. They’re a great on-the-go bite or picnic food.
Knishes are fist-size snacks consisting of mashed potatoes wrapped in paper-thin pastry dough and then baked or fried. Other varieties include fillings made from sweet potatoes, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cheese, or kasha, which is made from buckwheat groats.
Potato Knish Recipe Ingredients
For my knish recipe, I went the traditional route with homemade dough and a potato-onion filling. (Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Knish dough. There is nothing fancy or unusual about any of the dough ingredients – mostly pantry staples like flour, eggs, oil, white vinegar, baking powder, and kosher salt – with the one exception of schmaltz, which is rendered chicken fat and has so much great flavor. This is very common addition in Jewish food. You can usually find a jar of it near the oils. If not, use bacon grease.
- Knish filling. As for the filling, you’ll need Yukon gold potatoes, diced onion, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, butter, kosher salt, pepper, and more schmaltz (or bacon grease.)
How to Make Knish
As mentioned above, making knishes is not difficult, but is sort of an all day thing, so plan your time accordingly. It’s done in a few steps: 1) making the dough 2) making the filling 3) forming them, and 4) baking. Here’s a brief summary: (Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
Knish Dough. Making knish dough is similar to making a pie crust. Mix together the dry ingredients, make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients, then combine, mixing by hand until the dough pulls together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft, smooth, and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and set it aside while you make the filling.
Knish Filling. The filling is a combination of seasoned mashed potatoes, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and sautéed diced onions. The filling should be room temperature or slightly warm. If it’s hot, it will melt the dough.
Assembly. The dough gets divided in half and rolled out into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. The filling is then divided in half and placed over the long end of the dough, leaving a little bit uncovered on all sides to brush with egg wash. The dough is stretched over the filling and rolled up, pressed to seal, and ends trimmed.
Forming the knish. Using a bench scraper, mark (but do not cut) dough into 8 equal pieces. Flour the side of your hand and press into the marks. Rub back and forth against the counter to separate each piece. Position each piece with one cut end facing down and the other facing up. Squish down the top and tuck everything into the center to form a round knish.
Bake. Brush bottoms with olive oil and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush egg wash on top. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40 minutes.
What is a Knish? Homemade Knish Recipe
FAQ
What is a potato knish made of?
Is a knish like a pierogi?
What is a New York knish?
Why is it called a knish?
What is Knish made of?
Knish is made of a stuffing wrapped with dough, baked or, more rarely fried. The most traditional recipe is the potato knish recipe, with a stuffing consisting of mashed potatoes with fried onions, sauerkraut, kasha, minced meat, onions or cheese.
What does a knish look like?
There’s nothing like a classic knish, though. A knish is a potato mixture wrapped in delicate dough, brushed with an egg wash, and baked until golden. The inside is tender and steamy, while the outside is crisp and flaky. Carbs stuffed with more carbs, without apologies. One knish is filling!
What is a knish stuffed with?
They’re also a wonderful comfort food! What Is a Knish? A knish is a traditional Eastern European dumpling that can be stuffed with a variety of fillings, including potato, spinach, cabbage, kasha, sweet cheese, and more. Dough: The dough may be made with flour and butter, like a traditional pastry, or it may be made with flour and mashed potatoes.
What is a Jewish Knish?
The most traditional ingredient in a knish recipe is schmaltz, chicken or goose fat, typical of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. Knishes can be round, rectangular or square. They can be completely wrapped with dough or with part of the filling appearing on the top of the dough.