From the legendary New York destination for Jewish appetizing, a beautiful and inspiring cookbook that encompasses history, tradition, and absolutely delicious food

In 1907, a Jewish immigrant named Joel Russ landed in New York City, where he took a pushcart of herring and built a legacy that would pass down through fathers and daughters (and sons and husbands and wives) for more than a hundred years. Four generations later, the ancestral heart of Russ & Daughters continues to bustle on the Lower East Side, with three more locations throughout the city.

Over the course of a century, Russ & Daughters has fed hundreds of thousands of customers, many considering a visit to the original shop on East Houston a family tradition, weekly ritual, or New York experience. Now, for the first time, Russ & Daughters brings its world-famous institution into readers’ homes. Its rich history is told through insider anecdotes from the family and characters on both sides of the counter; illuminating guides to its most famed offerings―smoked salmon, sable, sturgeon, herring, and caviar; and more than 100 cherished recipes for favorite foods like latkes, matzo ball soup, babka, and bagels, among many others.

Nothing can ever replace the experience of taking a number, kibbitzing with a slicer, waiting in line, and ordering your whitefish or belly lox. Yet this book captures some of that infectious Russ & Daughters appetizing spirit, and most importantly, brings families and friends together around the table.

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Potato Knishes

Once the knish was the king of the Lower East Side. A filling dish of ancient origin among poor Ukrainian Jews, the knish arrived on the Lower East Side with the influx of immigrants in the late 1800s. A knish offers affordable and soul-warming sustenance in the form of mashed potatoes and onions garbed in a golden dough. Great wars were fought over the knish—or at least, modest skirmishes across Rivington Street—by opposing knish-mongers.

Like the bagel—and the Jewry of the Lower East Side—eventually the knish went mainstream. Also like the bagel, many versions abounded. The street cart knish is large and leaden. The stadium knish is larger still. Our version returns the knish to its more natural proportions. These aren’t gut-busting bricks of carbs, but rather ethereal—Ok, semi-ethereal—handheld dumplings filled with an airy onion-potato mixture.

MAKES 1 DOZEN KNISHES

FOR THE FILLING

3 medium russet potatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled and cut into chunks

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

FOR THE DOUGH

2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling and shaping

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup water, plus more as needed

1 large egg

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon white vinegar

MAKE THE FILLING

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain through a colander, then return the potatoes to the pot and mash until completely smooth using a potato masher or sturdy fork.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool.

Add the cooled onions to the mashed potatoes along with the onion powder and salt, and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Use a one quarter cup measuring cup to form 12 portions of the mashed potato mixture and place them on a large parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

MAKE THE DOUGH

Combine the flour, oil, water, egg, baking powder, salt, and vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until a dough forms, about 7 to 10 minutes.

The dough will feel relatively oily at this stage. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

On a well floured surface, roll the dough into an eighth inch thick rectangle about 12 by 16 inches.

Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into twelve 4 inch squares. There will be excess dough. Discard it or save it for another use.

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

For each knish, place one portion of filling in the center of a square. Fold two opposite corners up and over the filling and pinch to seal, using a little water if needed. Repeat with the remaining two corners to form a parcel, then place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Store leftovers well wrapped in the freezer for up to 6 months. Reheat briefly in an oven or toaster oven.

Excerpted RUSS & DAUGHTERS: 100 Years of Appetizing by Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper. Copyright © 2025 by Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Gentl & Hyers. Illustrations by Jason Polan, LLC.