Coney Island Potato Knish Recipe

My mother and I took a walk down memory lane to New Yorkโ€™s world famous Coney Island.

โ€œThey were absolutely delicious potato knishes. They really were.,” recalls my mother, while reminiscing about Surf Knishes, my parentsโ€™ knish factory on Coney Islandโ€™s Surf Avenue 50 years ago.

โ€œEverything was freshโ€, she continues, โ€œno artificial ingredients, real potatoes and the secret spice recipe.โ€

Recalling the sights and sounds of one of New Yorkโ€™s most famous hot spots for food, entertainment and summer fun, she explained that one of Surf Knishes wholesale customers was the iconic restaurant Nathanโ€™s Famous, then owned by the Handwerker Family.

Surf Knishes also had a take-away window to serve the passersby delighting in the sights of the Coney Island Boardwalk. I can imagine the locals and tourists working up an appetite while enjoying the famed Cyclone roller coaster, the performers and parades.

What better to satisfy their hunger than this traditional Ashkenazi Jewish pocket of deliciousness of mashed potatoes in a warm flaky pastry. My recipe may be different, but the passion remains the same as evidenced by my knishes being devoured like hotcakes off the griddle.


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I’ve highlighted more products I love in the recipe instructions for these delicious potato knishes. Check them out!

knish-dough-for-the-best-potato-tuna-knishes Coney Island Potato Knish Recipe

Delicious Potato Knishes

4 from 16 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Dough Chill 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Jewish
Calories: 264

Ingredients
  

Knish Dough
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup apple juice or water
Potato Filling
  • 3 large potatoes
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg for eggwash

Method
 

  1. Mix the dry ingredients
  2. Add the vegetable oil and mix
  3. Add 1/2 cup of apple juice or water and mix.
  4. Add remaining liquid by the spoonful until dough is well-mixed
  5. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or until ready to use.
  6. While dough is chilling, boil 3 large potatoes in salted water.
  7. Dice and sauteeโ€™ half an onion until translucent.
  8. Place sautรฉed onion in a large bowl. Add the boiled potatoes and mash with a fork and season the mixture with 2 tablespoons of evoo and salt and black pepper to taste.
  9. Add the egg to the potato mixture and mix well.
  10. Tip: I use an immersion blender to quickly puree the potato mixture, because my family prefers a smooth filling. Skip this step if you prefer otherwise.
  11. Roll out the dough thinly into a rectangle.
  12. Using a smooth edged knife, cut the dough in half vertically and then into quarter horizontally to make eight even-sized rectangles.
  13. Add a dollop of potato mixture to the bottom half of a rectangle and fold and close the knish. Press the edges closed all around with your fingertips. (Like someone two-finger typing with their pointer fingers). Repeat with the remaining rectangles.
  14. Brush each knish with beaten egg and bake at 350F/175C on a parchment lined baking sheet for approximately 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 6gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 128mgPotassium: 419mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 61IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 2mg

Notes

Alternative:
Instead of potato, you can substitute tuna fish for the filling.
ย 
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

0 comments

comments user
Vivi Altabe

5 stars
Yumm!! Going NOW to make these!
Spot on Shachar! The perfect post-pesach-blues comfort foodโค Vivi

    comments user
    rebbetzinunplugged

    Hi there, Vivi! I’ll be right over ๐Ÿ˜‰. (Hopefully soon, we will all be able to travel freely). Enjoy the potato knishes and send me pics! xo

comments user
Francesca Elisheva Paravano

5 stars
This is a must try! Potatoes and pastry, whatโ€™s better than that?

4 from 16 votes (14 ratings without comment)

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