Once the knish was the king of the Lower East Side. A filling dish of ancient origin among poor Ukrainian Jews, the knish arrived on the Lower East Side with the influx of immigrants in the late 1800s. A knish offers affordable and soul-warming sustenance in the form of mashed potatoes and onions garbed in a golden dough. Great wars were fought over the knish—or at least, modest skirmishes across Rivington Street—by opposing knish-mongers. Like the bagel—and the Jewry of the Lower East Side—eventually the knish went mainstream. Also like the bagel, many versions abounded. The street cart knish is large and leaden. The stadium knish is larger still. Our version returns the knish to its more natural proportions. These aren’t gut-busting bricks of carbs, but rather ethereal—Ok, semi-ethereal—handheld dumplings filled with an airy onion-potato mixture.
recipe 
yields
Makes 1 dozen knishes
3 medium russet potatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
2¼ cups flour, plus more for rolling and shaping
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup water, plus more as needed
1 large egg
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white vinegar
For the Filling
For the dough
steps
- Make the filling: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain through a colander, then return the potatoes to the pot and use a potato masher or sturdy fork to mash until completely smooth.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saute pan set over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool.
- Add the cooled onions to the mashed potatoes along with the onion powder and salt, and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Use a ¼-cup measuring cup to form 12 portions of the mashed potato mixture and place on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
- Make the Dough: Combine the flour, oil, water, egg, baking powder, salt, and vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, to form a dough, 7 to 10 minutes.
- The dough will feel relatively oily at this stage. Cover the mixer bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- On a well-floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an ⅛-inch-thick rectangle about 12 by 16 inches. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into twelve 4-inch squares. (There will be excess dough. Discard it or save it for another use.)
- Assemble & Bake: Preheat the oven to 400 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. For each knish, place one portion of the filling in the center of a square. Fold two opposite corners of the dough up and over the filling, pinching the corners together to seal (use a little water to act as a glue, if needed).
- Repeat with the opposite two corners to form a little parcel, and place the knish on the lined baking sheet.
- Bake the knishes, rotating the baking sheet back-to-front halfway through, until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Transfer the knishes to a wire rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers, well wrapped, in the freezer for up to 6 months. Reheat briefly in an oven or toaster oven.
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Recipe excerpted from
RUSS & DAUGHTERS: 100 Years of Appetizing by Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper. Copyright © 2025 by Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Gentl & Hyers. Illustrations by Jason Polan, LLC.
