The Knishwich
קניש·(kuh-NISH-wich)
Quick Deli Lunches (American Suburbs)
If you grew up anywhere near the Tri-State area, the smell of a frying potato knish and steaming pastrami is practically encoded in your DNA. But you don't need a plane ticket to the Lower East Side to taste it again. The secret to the ultimate Jewish-American deli sandwich isn't spending three days curing brisket or deep-frying pastry dough from scratch—it's knowing exactly what to buy and how to treat it. Get the square, commercially fried Coney Island-style knishes from the supermarket freezer, aggressively crisp them back to life, and treat them like a hamburger bun. It is an indulgent, spectacular, unapologetic masterpiece of immigrant utility that will make you swear you are standing at the counter in Brooklyn.
Before you start
Procure the right meat.
Ask your deli counter to shave the pastrami as thin as possible, and actively avoid pre-packaged, water-added cold cuts if you want the real deli experience.
Ingredients
- square potato knishes4 large
- premium deli pastrami1 lb
- spicy brown deli mustard1/4 cup
- fresh coleslaw or sauerkraut1 cup
- water1 tbsp
- kosher dill pickles4 med
Method
- 01
Crisp the knishes to absolute perfection.
Preheat your oven to 375°F or an air-fryer to 350°F, and bake the whole knishes directly on the rack for 10 to 15 minutes until the exterior is deeply golden, blistered, and audaciously crispy.
- 02
Gently steam the pastrami.
Cold deli meat is a culinary sin here, so heat a large skillet over medium-low, add the water, loosely pile in the sliced pastrami, cover tightly, and steam for 2 to 3 minutes until the fat renders slightly and the meat is hot and fragrant.
- 03
Perform the sandwich surgery.
Transfer the hot, crispy knishes to a cutting board and, using a serrated bread knife, carefully slice each horizontally in half to open them up like a hamburger bun.
- 04
Assemble the masterpiece.
Aggressively smear the inside of the top halves with spicy brown mustard, divide the hot pastrami evenly among the bottom halves, layer on the coleslaw or sauerkraut, and crown with the top half.
- 05
Serve immediately.
Press down gently on the sandwich and eat it hot alongside a crisp dill pickle with plenty of napkins.
Notes
Source the right knish.
You need Gabila's square Coney Island knishes, which are widely available in the frozen or kosher aisle of most major American supermarkets. Do not buy round baked knishes; they will disintegrate when used as a bun.
The secular stadium adaptation.
If you do not strictly keep Kosher dietary laws, slip a slice of Swiss cheese over the hot pastrami—a popular adaptation inspired by modern concession stands at New York sports arenas.