Flavored Lefse & Thanksgiving Snow

Well, the snow finally arrived like I knew it would, but we had a long, warm fall so a person could convince themselves that it might stay like that all winter. No such luck. But Thanksgiving is here and that's my favorite holiday -- all food and shopping. No gifts or cards to worry about, just food.

I've been making lefse every day for the past couple of weeks, so I haven't had much time to do anything else. This morning, Ann and Eric from the Grand Forks Herald came by to see me make my flavored lefse. It's a lot of fun to experiment with different combinations of spices and herbs. I started making non-traditional lefse two summers ago when I made lefse to sell at the farmers market. It was a huge hit, so I tried different combinations to see what people like.

It seems there are two kinds of lefse people: sweet and savory. If you're a sweet lefse person, you'll probably like the cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, sweet potato kinds of flavors. But the savory group goes for roasted garlic, rosemary & cracked pepper, chives, curry powder and even pesto. Personally, I'm in the last group and just about the perfect combination for me is lefse wrapped around a piece of roast pork with a little pan drippings poured over the top.

So I thought I'd repost my basic lefse recipe then some flavor additions you might like to try.

Quinn’s Lefse
(Makes about 3-4 dozen)

Making lefse is not hard, but it does take practice to get it just right. Even experienced lefse makers have good and bad days, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t come out right every time. After making lefse a few times, you’ll have a better feel for what the dough should feel like when mixing, rolling and frying. You’ll soon learn which ones will turn out great and which ones you should have tossed in the trash before wasting all that time rolling it out. But it’s the ones that don’t turn out that you learn the most from. Did you work the dough too long? Did you add too much flour? Did you over cook it? The only way to answer those questions is by making mistakes.

Many lefse makers work in pairs where one rolls and one frys. Then when the person rolling gets tired, you can switch jobs so you can rest your back, but keep the lefse coming.

• 8-9 lbs russet potatoes
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola or any light oil)
• All purpose flour – approximately 1 to 1 1/2 cups (but you have to judge by feel) plus more for rolling

Boil potatoes until fork tender

Mash using a potato ricer or food mill (you can use a regular potato masher, but you may end up with some lumps in your lefse)

While still hot, add stick of butter, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 cup oil. Mix completely. Let cool to room temperature (or refrigerate overnight, but bring to room temperature before using).

Working in small batches, scoop out about 2 cups of potato mixture into a smaller bowl. Add about ½ cup flour to portioned off potatoes a little at a time until the dough holds together. Don't add too much flour or the lefse will become hard when cooked. Divide mixture into equal portions. A small ice cream scoop works great for this. Work each portion in your hands for a few seconds then shape into a ball. (It should hold together with a slight spring, but not be sticky or rubbery. – You’ve worked it too much if it does.)

Flour board and rolling pin cover generously. Using a flat plate, gently press potato ball between two sheets of plastic (a freezer bag that has been cut open works great for this) until it makes a disk (about 3-4” across). Peel plastic off one side of the potato disk and flip it onto your floured board using the plastic as a holder. Then peel the plastic away from the other side (remove it completely). Dust the potato disk with flour.  Using very light pressure (just let the weight of the pin do the work), roll from center to outside edge of disk working around the circle (like spokes of a wheel) until lefse becomes about 6-7” across and more or less round. If the disk becomes lopsided, gently pat the edges back to round. Continue rolling applying slightly more pressure as the lefse gets thinner. Keep it moving on the board without sticking. Add a little more flour to the board, if necessary. Until you get the hang of it, you may need to flip the lefse over one or two times during the rolling process to prevent sticking. Continue rolling until the lefse is approximately 12-14” across. (The thinner the better, but it takes practice to roll it thin without tearing.)

Flavored Lefse

Start with the basic recipe, then scoop out a smaller portion of dough so you can mix in the flavors.  And you might not want to spring this on the old Norwegians in your family all at once. I've gotten some dirty looks from the traditionalists who think this is just about the same as burning the Norwegian flag!

Here are some ideas I've tried:

• Roasted Garlic (roast your own or use garlic powder.)
• Pesto (the kind you put in pasta is great, just drain off the extra oil that's on top.)
• Parmesan cheese
• Chives
• Thyme
• Rosemary and cracked black pepper
• Sun dried tomatoes (chop very fine)
• Curry powder
• Chili powder
• Garam Masala (Indian spice mixture)
• Cinnamon and Nutmeg (if you use too much, the lefse will get dry and fall apart).
• Maple flavoring
• Cocoa
• Citrus (lemon or orange zest and/or oil)

Look through your spice rack and try some combinations. You might be surprised how good they are.

Good luck and let me know what flavors you like best.

Happy Thanksgiving!