The Fruitcake Bingo...

...and Ugly Sweater party was a good time.  After several hours of making peppermint meringues, artichoke squares, and brownies,:

there were rousing games of fruitcake bingo.  I won a private viewing of Santa Claus Defeats the Aliens with two of my friends AND a used personal massager.  I gave the latter to Luka, who was bummed not to have won a game.  The massager has since been chewed and mangled by his dog, so it's really no loss!

I also made "injured" gingerbread people using cookie cutters my friend Danna gave me:

They weren't particularly tasty, but it sure was fun to make bloody gingerbread!

There was also an amaretto-rum punch, which I sipped with copious amounts of maraschino cherries:

And vegan mini-knishes, which were a bitch to make, but pretty tasty (see recipe at end):

It was fun being mock competitive over bingo and silly prizes, and I enjoyed seeing my friends look dorkier than usual in their goofy, festive clothes!  I am definitely planning a Fruitcake Bingo-Ugly Sweater Party II.

  Potato Knish

4 c flour

1 t kosher salt, plus more to taste

6 T canola oil, plus more for greasing

4 russet potatoes (2 ½ lb), peeled and cut into 1” pieces

3 onions, minced

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 egg, beaten with 1 T water

1.      Whisk together flour and 1 t salt in a medium bowl.  Make a well in center and add 1 c plus 2 T warm water and 2 T oil.  Stir to form a dough and knead briefly.  Divide dough into 4 pieces.  Wrap in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.

2.     Meanwhile, put potatoes into a 4-qt saucepan and add water to cover by 1”.  Season with salt, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain potatoes and pass through a food mill or potato ricer into a large bowl.  Heat remaining oil in a 12” skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes.  Whip onions into potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

3.     Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Working with one piece of dough at a time, put dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll to 1/16” thickness.  Using a 3” cookie cutter, cut out 16 circles.  Spoon 1 T of potato mixture onto center of each circle.  Brush edges with egg wash and bring up edges with your fingers and seal to form a purse.  Transfer knishes to 2 greased baking sheets and brush with egg wash.  Repeat, filling 2 greased baking sheets in all.  Bake knishes until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Let cool slightly; serve warm.

Makes 64 mini knishes.

Source:  Saveur magazine, December 2010.