Knishes (((My Grandmom's Greatest))) Appetizer or Side Dish
- Ready In:
- 504hrs 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 11
- Yields:
-
1 Batch
ingredients
- 7 large potatoes (mashed)
- 2 large onions
- 4 cups flour (1 lb.)
- salt
- ground black pepper
- sugar (optional)
- 3⁄4 cup peanut oil (may substitute vegetable oil)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1⁄8 teaspoon baking soda
- garlic powder
- 3 -4 ounces chicken fat (grieven)
directions
- 3 weeks to 3 months prior to making knishes, sauté 2 large onions with 3 oz. chicken fat with skin in peanut oil until brown. Crumble up the skin into pieces.
- Add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda when onions are nearly done.
- Mix the sautéed onions with a few ounces of sauteed schmaltz (chicken fat with crumbled skin) thoroughly.
- Wrap or seal tightly and place into freezer.
- This is called "grieven" and is the secret to wonderful tasting knishes.
- Defrost the grieven prior to making the knishes.
- FOR THE FILLING: Place mashed potatoes into large mixing bowl.
- In a skillet heat the grieven mixture and add it into the mashed potatoes.
- Season to taste with salt, black pepper, garlic powder and sugar to taste.
- Do not season heavy with salt or garlic, and especially not with the sugar, as you do not want it to be sweet.
- FOR THE DOUGH: Place the flour into a mixing bowl.
- Mix a little less than 1/2 cup peanut oil and save remaining oil.
- Add 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and just enough water to make the dough.
- Roll out the dough as thin as possible, being careful not to create holes in the dough.
- Cut dough into 4 to 5 inch strips and then into 4 to 5 inch squares.
- ASSEMBLY: Fill each square with a heaping tablespoon or more of the potato mixture and then with wet fingers, fold in the corners & pinch and seal closed.
- Gently press to form patties, but do not squash too thin.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Lay out the knishes onto a greased cookie sheet.
- Brush top of each of the knishes with peanut oil.
- Keep checking, as often as you desire, to make sure they only become an almost golden color and not burnt.
- With a spatula, turn the knishes over, brush on peanut oil again, and continue baking until almost golden in color.
- You can refrigerate and reheat in either the oven or wrapped with paper towel and reheated in the microwave.
- You can also double or triple the recipe and place knishes into tightly closed Tupperware containers and freeze until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, remove from freezer, defrost and reheat as described.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Alan Leonetti
Albuquerque, New Mexico
I was born in 1942 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in this GREAT United States of America. I have since resided in Baltimore Maryland, Atlanta Georgia, Orlando Florida, Fort Lauderdale Florida, Los Angeles California, Selma Oregon, and now in Albuquerque New Mexico. I have enjoyed not only eating, but cooking all my life.