Food and Prop Styling by Shiri Feldman
Photography by Felicia Perretti
Food Prep and Styling by Chef Suzie Gornish

Puff pastry dough is not an ingredient normally found in the Greisman household! However, Purim is all about v’nahafoch hu, so I decided to (gulp) use it in this recipe to cut down on prep time. (You had to see my neighbor’s face when she saw puff pastry in my shopping cart! Why are people always looking in my shopping cart anyway!?)

My mother makes the best knishes ever and they start with a homemade dough. I took her recipe and added steak and an amazing smear, which took these knishes to a totally different level. I served them and everyone wanted doubles!

YIELDS 2 KNISH LOGS OF 10 SLICES EACH + 10 INDIVIDUAL DOUGHLESS KNISHES

• 4½ lbs (2 kg) red potatoes, unpeeled (approximately 10–12 medium)
• ¼ cup oil
• 4–5 medium onions, diced
• 3 eggs
• salt and pepper, to taste (be generous)
• 1 2-lb (910-g) pkg puff pastry or puff pastry squares
• approximately 10 pieces steak (entrecôte), cut paper thin (if prepackaged not available, ask your butcher to do this for you)
• ¼ cup mayonnaise (I used light)
• 2 full Tbsp spicy brown mustard

Garnish

• 1 egg, beaten
• sesame seeds

Wash potatoes well. Place in a medium-sized pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft. Drain and set aside. Keep covered. (They will be easier to peel with a knife while still warm.)

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onions and sauté for 1 hour over medium-low heat, turning up the heat in the last 5 minutes, until caramelized and medium brown, stirring occasionally.

Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Place in your mixer together with the onions. Beat for a minute or so, adding the eggs and seasoning, until texture is very creamy. This adds an awesome texture.

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Divide pastry dough in half. Roll out each half to a large rectangle. Add a generous amount of the potato mixture in the center, flattening it to about 3 inches (7¹⁄₂ cm) wide. Place 3 pieces of thin steak on top of the potatoes. Mix together the mustard and mayo in a small bowl and set half of it aside. Smear a thin layer (about a quarter of the total mixture) over the steak. Fold over the dough on all sides, closing the loaf securely. Carefully flip over onto the prepared baking sheet. If necessary, gently correct shape of loaf by coaxing dough with your hands. Smear with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Score lines about halfway through the knishes, marking off slices. Bake the loaves for 30 minutes, turning the pan midway.

Meanwhile, prepare the individual knishes, for those who prefer the doughless variety. Spray 10 individual muffin tins with cooking spray. Place a full tablespoon of the potato mixture into each one. Place a third of a piece of steak on top, pressing down slightly. Smear with a little of the mustard-mayo mixture. Top with more potato mixture. Smear with egg and sprinkle with sesame, as above. Lower oven heat to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 20–25 minutes.

If using puff pastry squares, follow instructions above, adjusting amounts as necessary. Fold the dough around the filling, then brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Both the knish logs/squares and the individual doughless knishes can be frozen.

Note: Sautéing the onions for an hour adds incredible flavor to the knishes. (This can be done in advance and frozen.) It’s important to sauté the onions in a pareve frying pan to avoid kashrus issues when adding the mixture to your mixer!

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 833)