Lefsa

8 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 cups Peeled and diced potatoes
3 tablespoons Butter
½ cup Half&Half
1 cup Flour (or a little more)

Directions

Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 12:16:43 -0500 From: "the letter \\"C\\" is not nesessary" <DDAWSON@...> Since I started all of this "secret" recipe talk, I thought I'd share a few family favorites that have been passed down to me over the years. This first one has a special meaning to me since my Grama (Grandma) taught me how to make it right around the time she became unable to cook for herself ~- over 10 years ago. She just turned 95 and I still enjoy visiting with her and talking about the good ol' days.

Many of you will probably not know what is, so I'll begin by trying to describe Lefsa (sometimes spelled Lefse). Lefsa is a norwegian flat "bread" made from potatoes. It lookes kind-of like a tortilla, but it is much softer. Like lots of things, it tastes best right off the lefsa griddle, when it's still warm. True norwegians roll lutefisk (sp?) in lefsa, but that's not something to try right off the bat. ;) I like it with butter spred on it and rolled up. Also sprinkled with sugar is good. At the big Thanksgiving turey dinner, rolling up turkey and stuffing tastes great.

You can use your imagine and roll up just about anything in it. I'm craving it big time right now, so I'd better quit rambling and tell you the recipe.

Bring potatoes to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes or until they are done. Drain off water. Mash potatoes, butter and half&half until smooth and creamy. Chill in fridge until completely cooled (i.e. overnight).

Once it's cool, add the flour, working it in gradually. Knead well.

Pull off small pieces of dough and roll it out like you would for piecrust, as thin as possible (⅛ inch), in any size desired. (Ours are usually 6-8 inches) I use a rolling pin covered in a pastry sleeve and roll it out on a lightly floured pastry cloth. Try to use as little additional flour in rolling to assure tenderness. I still have trouble with it sticking to the pastry cloth, but I think experience is the only thing that will perfect this process.

Using a lefsa spatula (It's sort-of similar to a paint stirring stick except thinner and narrower. The end is beveled so you can easily slide it under the rolled out dough. Pick it up and transfer it to a lefsa griddle which should be very hot before you put it on. (You can use a pancake griddle, too, but just make sure it's pretty hot. (Sorry, don't know the temp). In a minute or so you'll notice the lefsa start to bubble up as it browns on the griddle. Once you notice this, turn it with the lefsa spatula. Remove it from the griddle when the second side is done. (a minute or so)

Bake on a pancake griddle, turning frequently to prevent burning. Use moderate heat. There is a handy lefse turner that is a small ¼ inch x ½ inch stick that has all the edges roundly sanded. Nothing works as well for turning.

Cool and store in an airtight container. (ha ha ha, storing is not an issue. They are always gone before the griddle is cool) Serving suggestions: The favorite in our family is simply butter and sugar while still warm, and roll up and eat. Jams, jellies, etc are all appropriate. The potato flavor is so good, we keep the dressing simple so we just taste the lefse itself. *Riced potatoes are thoroughly cooked, cooled, and put through a "ricer".

This leaves the potatoes light and very mixable. Russet or baking potatoes should be used. Red potatoes are too moist and the lefse will stick and make you crazy. OOF DAH! **Mom said she and Dad always use graham flour now because it is "softer". I prefer the white lefse and am going to try using pastry flour. It is supposed to be "soft".

EAT-L DIGEST 19 JUNE 1996

From the EAT-L recipe list. Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, .

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