
Norwegian Potato Lefse
Cuisine: Norway
Norwegian Potato Lefse is soft potato flatbread lefse: riced potatoes mixed with flour and a little fat, rolled paper-thin and cooked on a dry griddle. Potatoes must be dry and cool or the dough turns sticky. Spread with butter and sugar, or savory fillings, then fold.
At a glance
Time: about 1.5 hours · 12 rounds · Difficulty: medium · ≈ 140 kcal per round
Norwegian Potato Lefse is soft potato flatbread lefse: riced potatoes mixed with flour and a little fat, rolled paper-thin and cooked on a dry griddle. Potatoes must be dry and cool or the dough turns sticky. Spread with butter and sugar, or savory fillings, then fold.
Ingredients
- 3 Lbs Potatoes
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1/4 cup Melted Butter
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 14 tablespoons Butter
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
Steps
- Boil the potatoes. Peel the potatoes while still warm and run them through a potato ricer twice.
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- Let the potatoes cool in an uncovered bowl in the fridge.
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- Stir the salt, sugar, melted butter, and cream into the riced potatoes.
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- Slowly add the flour and knead by hand until you get a good consistency. Don't add more flour than necessary! Roll the dough into a long sausage and divide into about 7 or 8 pieces if using an 18 inch griddle. If using a smaller griddle or frying pan, divide the dough into 10 – 12 pieces.
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- Roll each piece into a ball and then press into a flat circle, using the edges of your hands to form the dough into a nice circle shape without any cracks. This is important, otherwise you won't get round lefser.
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- Heat up your griddle on medium/high heat.
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- Flour your rolling surface and roll the lefse dough into a large circle slightly smaller than your griddle or frying pan. Begin rolling with a smooth rolling pin, then switch to a corrugated rolling pin as the lefse gets thinner. Don't use too much flour, as then the edges can become hard.
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- Roll the lefse onto your lefse stick and then gently unroll it onto your griddle. After a minute or two check the underside of the lefse for brown spots and then use the lefse stick to flip the lefse and cook on the other side.
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- Use the lefse stick to remove the lefse from the griddle and place it in a folded damp sheet or tablecloth.
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Time and temperature
Griddle: medium-high · ~1 min per side until brown speckles
Nutrition
140 kcal · Protein 3 g · Fat 4 g · Carbs 24 g
1 round (estimate)
Substitutes
- Russet potatoes → other floury potatoes
- Butter in dough → shortening
- Sugar topping → cinnamon sugar
- Griddle → large dry skillet
Storage
Stack with parchment; fridge 3 days or freeze. Soften wrapped in a towel when reheating.
FAQ
- Dough sticks to the rolling pin?
- More flour on the board and cooler dough. Potato flatbread lefse needs dry potatoes.
- Why tough lefse?
- Too much flour or overworked dough. Keep Norwegian Potato Lefse tender with minimal kneading.
- Do I need a lefse stick?
- Helpful for transferring thin rounds, but a thin spatula works at home.
- Sweet or savory?
- Both—butter-sugar is classic; smoked fish or cheese also appear.