Potato Knishes

As a Brooklyn girl, I grew up on knishes, especially potato knishes. We knew hole in the wall places that had the very best knishes. What, I never have had, is a knish made with an egg roll wrapper as the dough, at least I don’t think, I have. I bumped into this recipe. It comes from vision works……huh? I decided to make it, despite its dubious origins.

POTATO-KNISHES

Yield: 14 knishes

3 large potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/4 cup plus spray cooking oil
2 chopped scallions
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper
7 egg roll wrappers (6-inch squares)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with 1/2 cup of olive oil, scallions and salt. Adjust the seasonings, if desired.

3. Place an egg roll wrapper diagonally on a large cutting board or plate, so it appears diamond-shaped. Place 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture in the center. Fold the top and bottom corners over the filling to meet in the middle, then fold the right and left corners to meet in the middle. Pick up the knish and place it in the palm of both hands as if it were a ball and gently squeeze to make it round in shape. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

4. Arrange the knishes on an ungreased baking sheet, and brush the tops with the remaining oil. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

5. Arrange the knishes in a platter and serve plain or with your favorite dipping sauce.
Adapted from Leslie Cerier’s cookbook, Going Wild in the Kitchen (2005, Square One Publishers)