A Norwegian Specialty: Lefse

Different cultures have various special foods prepared only during the holiday season. In Norway, people prepare Lutefisk, a type of jellied white fish served with lots of butter. Another favorite is Lefse, a potato-based flatbread. I recently prepared Lefse for our holiday festivities and have the recipe my grandmother uses to prepare for our family get-togethers.

Lefse
5 c. cooked, mashed potatoes
2 c. Flour
Grooved rolling pin
Lefse Griddle (or flat aluminum untextured griddle)
Lefse stick (for flipping)

Prepare 5 c. of mashed potatoes with butter and salt by boiling peeled Idaho potatoes until soft. Mash potatoes until no lumps remain in the mixture. Add 4-5 tablespoons of butter and salt to taste. Let potatoes sit overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, mix in 2 c. of flour into the potato mixture. You may need to mix this flour in with your hands, I used a hand mixer to get a homogeneous mixture. In the meantime, heat a griddle to 425 degrees. Flour your rolling pin (be sure to do so heavily, as the potato mixture is quite sticky). Flour the space where you will roll out your lefse.

Form the potato-flour mixture into palm-sized balls and store them in the refrigerator until use. Take an individual ball, place on the floured surface and press with hands to flatten. Roll the dough until very thin. Slide the lefse stick under the flattened dough and transfer to the griddle. Cook on each side, flipping with the Lefse stick as needed.

Serve with butter and cinnamon-sugar. Roll the finished lefse and serve. To store, place lefse in between two sheets of wax paper and store in a bag. Good for up to 1 year in the refrigerator.