Recipe for Lefse

I can't believe that I actually have a request for the lefse recipe!!!! Here it is:

First of all, lefse is a Norwegian bread. It comes in a circular shape. It's usually stored in a folded up - half circle attitude. When eating, we usually tear it apart so each serving consists of a half circle piece of lefse.

Norske Nook says, "If you're not Scandinavian, you may have little trouble with the lefse. When you first see it, you may think it should be used for napkins, but you'd like it better if it were buttered and rolled up."

There are at least two schools of thought as far as eating. My family eats it by spreading it with butter and rolling it up like a tube. There are also people who spread it with butter, sprinkle it with sugar and then roll it up like a tube. Neither group of people understands the other. To me, and my family, the sugar part is totally disgusting. However, the sugar lovers think their method is tasty.

Lefse is eaten as bread with a meal, like meatballs or lutefisk, or by itself as a snack.

Here's my recipe, adapted from my grandmother, and the cookbook, Farm Recipes and Food Secrets from the Norske Nook by Helen Myhre with Mon Vold.

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup white flour (try flour with gluten next time), plus more for rolling
• butter

1. Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water until soft
2. Put through a potato ricer. Each time you fill the hopper of the ricer throw in a tablespoon of butter
3. Start by adding 1/2 cup flour and mix. If the dough is too sticky to roll, add more flour
4. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Use more flour on the rolling table to keep the dough from sticking. Roll each ball into a thin circle using a lefse rolling pin. If you can manage, roll the dough onto a lefse stick and carry it to your grill and unroll it. Cook on a dry griddle at 375 for several minutes per side. The lefse is supposed to bubble to tell you it's ready to be turned. Mine did not bubble on the first side, but it did bubble on the second side. Both sides should be lightly browned.
5. Fold lefse in half and transfer lefse to a cooling rack.
6. If there's any left by the end of the day, store in a cool place in a tin container.

Equipment that is helpful:

• Potato ricer (This makes a world of difference - when I originally tried to make lefse I just used mashed potatoes. The food mill was good, but I have since bought a ricer and it's the way to go!)
• Lefse rolling pin
• Lefse stick
• Lefse electric griddle (I don't have one, but found that my electric pancake griddle was good. My grandmother's recipe said to cook on a wood buring stove. Norske Nook says to avoid cheap aluminum pans.)