Beef and Potato Knishes Recipe

4      Reviews by:    Bettye Brumley   Beef and Potato Knishes Recipe is the meat-filled pastry of Jewish cooking tradition which encloses chuck roast or brisket cooked with a bay leaf, peppercorns, potatoes, chicken fat or salad oil, onions, white pepper and egg in Knish dough. Food Category:    Beef, Veal, and Lamb Cuisine Origin:    Jewish    Servings:30 Nutrition facts:184 calories8.6 grams fat Print Preview Rate This Recipe Prep Time:   5 Hours, 25 Minutes Cook Time:   20 Minutes Total Time:   5 Hour, 45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 boneless beef chuck roast or brisket (2 to 2 1/2 lbs)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 medium-sized boiling potatoes (about 1 lb total), peeled and cut in quarters
• About 1/2 cup melted chicken fat (Schmalz [search recipes]) or salad oil
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• Knish Dough (search recipes)

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 500° F. Place beef, fat side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, until well browned (15 to 20 minutes). Transfer beef to a 4 to 5-quart kettle. Add a little water to roasting pan, stirring to loosen drippings; pour over beef. To beef add bay leaf and black peppercorns, then more water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until beef is tender (2 1/2 to 3 hours).
• When beef is tender, cook potatoes in boiling water to cover until tender (12 to 15 minutes); drain well. Using a potato masher or electric mixer, beat potatoes until fluffy, adding up to 1 tablespoon of the chicken fat if very dry. Cook onions in 2 tablespoons of the chicken fat in a medium frying pan over moderate heat until soft but not browned; remove from heat and add to potatoes.
• Remove beef from liquid (reserve and freeze liquid, if you wish, to use as broth when making soup). Cool beef slightly. Cut into chunks and grind, using medium blade of food chopper or food processor. (You should have about 4 cups ground cooked beef.) Complete filling by combining ground cooked beef in a large bowl with potato mixture, salt, pepper, and egg; mix to combine thoroughly.
• Divide dough into three equal portions. Cover two of them with plastic wrap to prevent dough from becoming dry: Roll one third of the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 10 by 10-inch rectangle. Brush dough with some of the remaining chicken fat. Shape a third of the beef filling into a long roll about 1 inch from a 16-inch edge. Roll dough securely around filling. Pinch long edge to seal.
• Repeat filling process two more times, using another third of the filling for each. As each roll is completed, cover with plastic wrap to keep it moist. Cut each filled roll of dough into l-inch slices. Stretch dough up and over cut edges and seal in center, enclosing filling on all sides. Preheat oven to 375° F. Place knishes well apart on greased baking sheets. Brush lightly with chicken fat. Let rise until dough looks puffy (20 to 30 minutes). Bake until knishes are golden brown (15 to 20 minutes).

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