Potato lefse is a beloved Scandinavian food popular in the Midwest. They are a winter holiday food associated with Christmas celebrations. Made with traditional griddles and lefse sticks, these potato pancakes should be rolled paper-thin. Potato lefse also need to be made with the driest and most mealy potatoes possible. Lefse can be eaten with a variety of toppings, including butter, sugar, cinnamon, jelly, or ham. The world's largest lefse was made in the town of Starbuck, Minnesota, in 1983, and Fargo, North Dakota hosts a yearly August Lutefisk and Lefse Festival.
Recipe Servings: 6
Prep Time
30 minutes
+ 8 hours resting
+ 8 hours resting
Cook Time
10 minutes
Total Time
8 hours 40 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 2 lbs idaho russet potatoes (about 5 large potatoes), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup heavy cream or evaporated milk
- 1 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 175°F.
- In a stockpot, bring water to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil them until they are fork tender, then drain and place in the warm oven for about 15 minutes to dry.
- Pass through a ricer, producing about 4 cups of riced potatoes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the riced potatoes, salt, heavy cream or evaporated milk, butter, and sugar. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat a lefse griddle or cast iron griddle to 425°F.
- Working with a pastry blender, cut the flour into the chilled potato mixture.
- Pinch off biscuit-sized pieces of the dough.
- Working with a rolling pin on a well-floured work surface, roll out each piece into a 12 inch round. With a lefse stick, carefully lift the rounds one at a time and transfer to the heated griddle. Bake each lefse until brown spots appear, then flip to bake the other side.
- When golden brown, remove and cool on a plate lined with a clean damp cloth to cool.
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