Lefser

A lefse is a Norwegian potato pancake. They differ from other potato pancakes from around the world due to their flatbread-like state (They're flat). They're usual large in diameter and very thin. I've read that some more traditional Norwegian families have an electric lefse cooker. The electric ones look like a pizza pan on 3 legs with a little gauge to change the temperature. Of course, I only had a large skillet and they came out just fine!



I had mine with hjortronsylt (Swedish, I know. But I wanted to use the rest of it up before I came back to Boston.) A lot of time strawberries are eaten with them. I've also heard the cinnamon and butter are really good on them. You can also eat them with savory toppings, such as thick cream (like sour cream) and dill, chives, cheeses, meats, and veggies. I went a little American with the leftovers and added peanut butter and banana. It was delicious.

Without further adieu, here is the recipe that I used.

2 cups plain mashed potatoes, cold
2 tbsp soy milk or another non-dairy milk (I used vanilla soy milk)
1 tbsp margarine
0.5-1 tsp salt
3/4-1 1/4 cup flour
oil for frying (try to use an oil-free pan. You want to fry them, not deep dry them)

Mix all the ingredients together, adding flour as needed to make a dough and knead it briefly to mix well. Divide dough into 12 balls of equal size. Roll out into very thin pancakes (you will need to keep the surface and the rolling pin well floured to avoid sticking. Don't use so much that a bunch of flour goes with the lefse into the pan. That happened to a few of mine and it added a powdery texture to the outside of the lefse. Nasty).

Fry in oil in a frying pan or skillet on medium to medium high heat, 1-2 minutes per side. Stack on a plate with a paper towel between each pancake. Can be served hot or cold. Also stores well in the fridge or the freezer. Serve 2-3 pancakes per person (making 4-6 portions out of this recipe).


Skål!