I was particularly intrigued by the Mashed Potato Spring Rolls, in which David Chang rolls out white bread after cutting of the crusts, fills it with mashed potatoes and throws it in the deep fryer. Now I fully admit to having a lifelong shiksa fascination with knishes, and it was that very fascination that was awakened by this rolled-white-bread-as-dumpling-wrapper idea. I felt a deep need to incorporate this idea into my Christmas menu, which ironically enough was to be cooked in tandem with my Jewish neighbors.
I decided to make a few changes to the recipe. Instead of doing a spring roll, I would fold the white bread in half and make triangles. I omitted the green been entirely and made the filling with potato flakes, into which I microplaned half of a red onion and added olive oil and chopped fresh herbs. It's particularly important with the white bread to seal each "knish" edge evenly with the egg wash in every nook and cranny possible. I fried them in vegetable oil at 375°, but I would recommend getting the oil a bit hotter (say to 400°) so that the "knishes" won't absorb as much oil.
They were a hit at dinner with Jews and Gentiles alike and rolled white bread is definitely a welcomed new addition to my deep-fried goodie repertoire...
