Knish

If you haven’t heard of a knish, you’re not alone—but just one bite of this potato-filled pastry will win your heart. What is a knish, exactly? It’s a light and flaky homemade pastry dough stuffed with a fluffy potato-and-onion filling. These dough pockets make the perfect quick snack or a comforting meal.

Originally brought to New York from Eastern Europe in the early 1900s, knishes have become a beloved part of Jewish cuisine. Growing up Jewish in Detroit, I could find them anywhere from delis and bagel shops to my own holiday table. They may be harder to find nowadays, but you can make this comforting and impressive Jewish recipe yourself at home with this potato knish recipe.

Knish Ingredients

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour to make a dough that’s malleable and easy to work with.
• Baking powder: Baking powder helps the dough to rise a bit so it has a light texture.
• Butter: One of Grandma’s best tricks for baking with butter was to start with cold butter. This contributes to a light and flaky dough.
• Sour cream: The sour cream adds a touch of a tang to the pastry dough and contributes to its tender texture.
• Water: Use just enough water to bring the dough together.
• Eggs: An egg binds the filling ingredients together and adds richness. It’s also brushed over the pastry dough to give it a shiny finish.
• Knish filling: Potatoes, onions and eggs form the knish filling. You can use any type of potato, but starchy potatoes like russets will make the fluffiest filling.

Directions

Step 1: Make the pastry dough

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture looks crumbly. Stir in the sour cream and enough water to form a dough. The mixture will be crumbly. Shape it into a disk, then wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Editor’s Tip: Add the water one tablespoon at a time until you don’t see any dry flour at the bottom of the bowl when you’re mixing.

Step 2: Mash the potatoes

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 3: Cook the onions

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they’re tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 4: Make the potato mixture

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan. Stir them over low heat for one minute to help them dry out. Mash the potatoes, then stir in the onion mixture, salt and pepper. Set it aside to cool. Lightly beat one egg and stir it into the potato mixture.

Step 5: Roll the dough

Preheat the oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into three 10×12-inch rectangles. Cut each one into 16 squares.

Step 6: Shape the knish

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the potato filling onto the middle of each square. Brush the edges of the dough with water. Fold each corner toward the center so they all meet in the middle. Arrange the knish seam side down on ungreased baking sheets.

Editor’s Tip: Squeeze the seams of the dough together to help the knish stay together.

Step 7: Bake the knish

Lightly beat the remaining egg and brush it over the knishes. Bake them until they’re lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. If desired, serve the knishes with sour cream.

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

Knish Variations

• Try different fillings: There are a million ways to fill a knish! Popular fillings include kasha (aka buckwheat), cheese, mushrooms or pastrami. You could also use a ground chicken or beef filling, or swap in mashed sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes.
• Fry them instead: Knishes are usually baked to golden perfection, but they’re sometimes fried to create a crispy exterior. Try heating about 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven, and frying the knish until golden, two to four minutes per side.
• Make them square: Knishes are traditionally formed as round dumplings, but you can certainly shape them into squares so they have crispy edges.

How to Store Knishes

Store your knishes in the refrigerator in an airtight container, or freeze them to make them last longer. They will last for up to four days when stored in the fridge.

Can you freeze knishes?

This Jewish knish recipe is great for freezing. Once they’re cooked and cooled, you can individually wrap each one, or bag up a bunch of them so you can pull them from the freezer for a quick meal. Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or reheat them straight from frozen (with extended cooking time, of course).

How do you reheat a knish?

Reheat your knish in a 350° oven until the filling reaches an internal temperature of 165°, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the microwave for a few minutes.

Knish Tips

Jonathan Melendez for Taste of Home

What’s the best way to mash potatoes for knishes?

The best way to mash potatoes for a knish is using a handheld potato masher (just as you would to make mashed potatoes). You could use a small handheld mixer, which will whip them up really well. In a pinch, you can use two forks.

What can you serve with a knish?

Serve your knish with sour cream for dipping, as well as some vegetables to balance out the comforting potatoes and pastry dough. A simple salad would go great, as would something more substantial, like asparagus, broccoli or easy sauteed spinach.

Can you use store-bought dough to make a potato knish?

If you want to save time when preparing knishes, use store-bought puff pastry dough instead of making a homemade one. You can even try using store-bought pizza dough, although it won’t turn out as flaky.