Delicious Knishes

This is a fun lunch idea. Colin had started buying knishes at school. I thought $3 for some potatoes and flour was a little much and decided to try my hand at making my own. I made them today for the first time and they came out really well. Colin actually likes them better than the ones from the Kosher Deli on campus. The dough is super easy - we're already experimenting with other fillings. It would be great for a chicken pot pie or just about anything.

I divide the knish dough into 8ths. I think each 8th can handle 1/4c filling. So whatever you're making to fill them, have about 2c.

I used 6 russet potatoes and it was way too much potato. You only need 2.5c mashed. It's ok though, since they turned out so well, I made another batch and still had potato left over! Apparently they freeze, raw or baked, and bake well straight from frozen.

* 6 potatoes
* 1/4 cup of oil
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 3 cups flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 onion
* 1/2 cup cold water
* 1 egg

Directions:

Cook the Potatoes
First, we cook the potatoes. Use a vegetable peeler to take off all of the skin. Be sure to put the tip of the peeler into the potato to remove any deep parts. Next, cut the potatoes into large chunks, which will help them cook faster.

Place the potatoes into a pot of boiling water. Cook for around 15-20 minutes, until they are soft. Now, drain the pot into a colander.

Mash the Potatoes
Put the potatoes back into the pot and then mash them well. Measure out 1 cup of mashed potatoes. This is going to be for the dough.

Put the measured potatoes into a bowl. Add the oil and salt, then mix it together. You'll see it gets nice and creamy.

Prepare the Flour Mixture
In a separate bowl, add the baking powder to the flour. Whisk them together. Add about one-third of the flour mixture to the mashed potatoes and mix. In sections, add in all the flour as best you can.

Knead the Dough
Next, make a small well in the center of the bowl. Pour the cold water right into that spot. Knead the dough with your hands for a few minutes. The dough will come together, and soon you have a nice, firm ball.

Place a wet cloth or towel on top of the dough, and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Combine the Ingredients
Meanwhile, cut and peel the onion. Dice it into small pieces. Then melt the butter in a pan to medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are soft, but not yet brown.

Pour the onions into a mixing bowl. This will be for our knish filling. Add 1 1/2 cups of mashed potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Combine everything together. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Roll the Dough
Flour a flat surface and a rolling pin. Place down the dough, and divide it into four parts. Take one part and prepare it for rolling. Roll out the dough, flipping it over occasionally, so it is one-quarter of an inch thick.

I just roll it into balls before rolling it out, plop the filling in the middle, and bring the edges all together on top so its all puckered up. Give a little twist to seal.


Bake the Potato Knishes
Place the pan into the oven, and cook for about 20-25 minutes. You can see how the egg brings a nice golden color to the finished knishes.