Lefse is a Norwegian flatbread, typically made out of potatoes.
The exact origin date of Lefse isn't exactly sure, but there is an old legend that the Norse god Odin fed Lefse to slain warriors from Valhalla to aid them for their final battle. What we do know is that though Lefse is primarily made out of potatoes today, it didn't start off like that. It was only around 250 years ago that Norway was introduced to potatoes, so the original Lefses were most likely made out of flour.
Ingredients
2 pounds russet potatoes (about 5 large potatoes)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup heavy cream (or evaporated milk)
1 tablespoon butter (softened)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup flour
Instructions
Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 175 F.
Peel the potatoes, making sure that no peels or eyes remain. Then coarsely chop them into 1-inch pieces.
In a stockpot, bring water to a boil, add the potatoes and boil them until they are fork tender.
Drain boiled potatoes well, then place in the warm oven for 15 minutes to dry them further.
Remove the potatoes from oven and pass the potatoes through a ricer. (You should have about 4 cups of riced potatoes.)
Mix in salt, heavy cream (or evaporated milk), butter, and sugar.
Place in refrigerator and chill overnight.
Preheat a lefse griddle or cast iron griddle to 425 F.
Use a pastry blender to cut the flour into the chilled potatoes.
Pinch off pieces of dough the size of a biscuit. An ice-cream scoop works well for this.
Using a rolling pin with a well-floured sleeve and a floured pastry cloth or board, roll out each piece into a 12-inch circle.
Carefully lift the circle with a lefse stick and transfer it quickly to the griddle.
Bake the lefse on the griddle until brown spots begin to appear.
Flip and bake the other side.
Remove the cooked lefse to a plate lined with a damp clean cloth to cool. Cover with another damp cloth. Continue to cook the remaining lefse.
Serve the lefse with butter and sugar.
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