Lefse
A soft, thin Norwegian potato flatbread rolled paper-thin and cooked on a griddle, a holiday staple in Minnesota's Norwegian-American households.
- Prep
- 90 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 130 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 150 kcal
Equipment
- •Lefse griddle or large flat skillet
- •Rolling pin with grooved sleeve
- •Potato ricer
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- fat
- 5
- carbs
- 24
- protein
- 3
- calories
- 150
Instructions
- 1
Boil the potatoes until soft when pierced with a fork. Press them hot through a ricer into a large bowl.
- 2
Stir the potatoes with the butter, cream, and salt. Cool completely, ideally overnight in the fridge.
- 3
Mix the flour into the cold potato mixture until a soft dough forms.
- 4
Divide the dough into golf-ball sized portions.
- 5
Roll each portion on a floured surface with a grooved rolling pin until paper-thin and round.
- 6
Heat a lefse griddle (flat round electric grill) to about 500°F.
- 7
Move the dough to the griddle using a lefse stick. Cook about 1 minute per side until light brown spots appear.
- 8
Stack the cooked lefse between clean kitchen towels to keep them soft and prevent drying.
- 9
Fold into quarters with butter and sugar, or roll around butter and cinnamon sugar.
Chef's tips
Chill the potato mixture completely so the dough rolls out easily. Roll each piece as thin as possible for a tender texture.
Storage
Store stacked lefse wrapped tightly in the refrigerator up to a week, or freeze up to 2 months.
Reheating
Lefse is traditionally served at room temperature or gently warmed on a dry skillet.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Adding too much flour, which makes the lefse tough instead of tender.
- •Rolling the dough too thick, which gives it a heavy, bread-like texture.
Serving suggestions
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