Love, Laughs, And Lefse

What dessert do you associate with Christmas? For me that dessert is lefse. I grew up with it being a tradition to make it every year, and the tradition still continues.The lefse recipe has been passed down five generations. My Great Grandma taught my Grandma, who taught my Mom, who taught my siblings and I, who in turn have taught my nieces and nephews.

In the month of December when my Mom was growing up, lefse was traditionally made in two different countries: Saskatchewan and Scobey Montana.

There’s a lot of work involved in making lefse, which means the process often happens over two days. It’s also a lot of time standing and really uses the arm muscles. The first day an outrageous amount of potatoes are peeled, boiled, and riced. I remember one time being very tired after working all day, being part of a Christmas concert at work, and then going to peel potatoes at my Mom’s house. It made for a very long day, but I knew the end result would be worth it.

Growing up I’d often roll out the lefse with my Mom and my siblings, while my Dad was often the one at the griddle frying the lefse. While we each did our part, we’d listen to and sing along with Christmas carols. Since my Dad is no longer with us, in recent years I’ve been found at the griddle. My niece was excited to have the opportunity to be at the griddle last year. That same niece who is now sixteen has been actively involved in the lefse process since she was three years old. She brought her doll with her to the table and had her own little rolling pin.

When eating the lefse, heat it up for twenty seconds in the microwave. Spread the butter on it and then add either honey or brown sugar. The last step is to start at one end and roll it up. The lefse is eaten with your hands.

My nephew has a reputation of piling on both the brown sugar and the honey under my brother’s watchful eye. My brother in a very stern voice is known for saying, “That’s enough!” My nephew has a hard time rolling up his lefse because of all his toppings.

A couple of years ago I sat around the table with my Mom and my sister’s family eating some freshly made lefse. I come from a family of storytellers. We were telling stories and sharing memories. To say there was a lot of laughter would be an understatement. My nephew said that maybe we should change the name lefse to laughsa.

Norwegian Lefse Recipe

8 cups riced potatoes (better riced than mashed)

1 cup butter

¼ cup cream (half and half will do)

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

Flour (see method)

I suggest you make half the recipe

Cook the potatoes and rice them, then add the butter, cream, salt, and sugar while hot. Chill the potato mixture thoroughly-the dough must be kept cold to prevent sticking. Make into balls, working with only 2 cups of potato mixture at a time. Keep the rest of the dough refrigerated while you make the balls. To make 3 balls, add ¾ of a cup of flour to 2 cups of potato mixture. While rolling out one ball, refrigerate the other two balls. Making four balls makes the balls smaller and easier to handle. When you are finished rolling and frying those three balls, take another two cups of potato mixture, add ¾ cup of flour, and make that into three balls. Dust the rolling surface with flour. Press down by hand the one ball, turn it over and press it down again. Roll as thin as possible with a heavy rolling pin, into a large 14” circle, which you cut into four equal parts. Have the griddle temperature as hot as it will go (350-400 degrees). With a turner, transfer one piece at a time onto the griddle. I never make lefse alone. Have hubby watch the griddle and turn them after a minute or two, when it bubbles and brown spots appear. The griddle may not be free when you have your second ball rolled, so transfer the lefse quarters onto a cookie sheet until they can be put on the griddle. When they come off the griddle, place on two hand towels and a tea towel, one on top the other, and cover them by folding the towels over them until cooled. When completely cooled, put as many as you want out into a piece of aluminum foil and then into a plastic bag for storing, either in the fridge or freezer.