Chocolate Box Cottage Diary Vol. 1
Week 52: December 29, 2021

My cousin Christina and her son Wes joined Miriam and me in the kitchen for a day dedicated to preserving the Norwegian tradition of making lefse for New Year’s, which comes from my Dad’s (and Christina’s Mom’s) side of the family.

I have memories of Lefse Day with my Mom, sister, aunt and girl cousins – all under the watchful eye of my Norwegian-American Grandma who didn’t hesitate to let us know when our lefse didn’t make the grade.

Lefse is a thin, flexible flatbread made of boiled potatoes plus a little sugar, butter, salt, and flour.

Get your lefse-making supplies here.

Potatoes are boiled til fork-tender, then pressed through a ricer, a tool that transforms them into a fluffy mound of potato bits. The riced potatoes are drizzled with a little butter, seasoned with salt and sugar, and refrigerated overnight in a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb excess moisture.

The next day a small amount of flour is stirred into the potatoes and the mixture is gently kneaded by hand to form a soft dough.

After scooping, shaping, and rolling with a special grooved rolling pin, the lefse are carried with a long, thin stick to be cooked on the grill at high heat.

The aroma of lefse cooking brings back sweet memories of our family Lefse Days of childhood – and my Dad’s great love of lefse. He liked them best spread with butter and rolled up with sugar inside. I like cinnamon-sugar, myself.

My grandparents and both Christina’s and my Dads are in heaven now, but we talked about them today and we think they would be pleased and proud that we are carrying on the family tradition of making lefse.

The Lefse board and lefse pin have both been prepped with just the right amount of flour to prevent sticking.

The lefse grill cooks fast at high heat: 500 degrees F (260 C). High heat ensures that the lefse steam-cooks, keeping the lefse moist and pliable. Find your lefse grill here: Lefse

Later that day, I enjoyed a quiet cup of chamomile tea in my Grandmother’s tea cup and lefse by the living room window while I perused a seed catalog.

What? You’re still here! Go make some lefse!

Need lefse making supplies? Check here: https://www.lefsetime.com/product-category/lefse-kits/