Potato Knishes

5 from 3 votes

Potato knishes are traditional Jewish snacks made from potatoes, onions, and simple flour dough. These have a tender and garlicky filling encased with crispy dough.

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Jewish

Diet: Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 144kcal

Author: Candice Walker

Equipment

1 Food mill, ricer, or wooden spoon
1 Baking sheet
1 Mixer (hand or stand) with dough attachment
1 large bowl
1 Silicone baking mat

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour sifted
⅔ cup vegetable oil or canola
3 ibs Russet potatoes
1 yellow onion finely diced
1 bunch scallions finely sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 egg yolk see notes for vegan options**
salt to taste, start with 1-2 teaspoons

Instructions

Prepare the potatoes

Preheat oven to 425F.
Poke the potatoes 6 times per potato with a fork. Lightly oil the potatoes and season them generously with sea salt.
Bake for ~1 hour until fork tender.
While the potatoes are still warm (as hot as you can handle), peel them. As soon as they are peeled (and still warm), run them through a food mill. If you do not have a food mill, break them up with a wooden spoon into tiny pieces or mash them.
At this point, you can let the potato cool and come back to it later or continue.

Make the dough

Combine flour and a pinch of salt to your mixer bowl with a dough hook (or a large bowl and use a hand mixer with dough attachment)
While running on the lowest setting, add 1⁄3 cup water and 2 teaspoons of oil until the dough forms a rough ball.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 15 minutes.
Transfer to a lightly oiled clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a silicone lid and let rest for 30 minutes.

Make the filling

Heat ½ cup of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the finely diced onions and scallion whites and cook, stirring often, until they start to brown, about 20 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and the rest of the scallions and cook for just one more minute.
Transfer to the bowl with the potatoes.
Season to taste with salt and set the filling aside.

Bring it all together

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet and set aside.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces, then shape each into a ball.
Roll out one dough ball at a time on a lightly floured surface into a 7" circle.
Brush the surface of the dough with some of the remaining oil. Mound about 1 cup of the filling in the center of the dough and fold the dough up and around the sides. Leave the top of the filling exposed.
Overlap the edges of the dough to make a snug fit around the filling.
Transfer the knishes to the prepared baking sheet, brush them with egg wash (the yolk and 1 tbsp of water).
Bake until lightly golden, about 30 minutes.

Notes

To be the most efficient (and to reflect the 1 hour prep time) make and rise the dough and caramelize the onions while the potatoes roast in the oven. By then, your potatoes will be ready to break down and turn into your filling.

** You can use aquafaba or a spray of oil to make this recipe vegan. It won't brown as well, but will still be delicious.

Make one knish at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered to prevent it from drying out.

Potato knishes are traditionally on the bland side. Try some of these spice additions to spruce up your knishes:

1.5 teaspoons of cayenne pepper + 1.5 teaspoons of paprika (or smoked paprika)
2 teaspoons of herbes de Provence
1-2 teaspoons of curry powder
2 teaspoons of rosemary and an extra pinch of garlic powder

Nutrition