Potato Lefse originated in Scandinavia. It is a soft Norwegian flatbread. It has recently been growing in popularity in many countries around the world because of it's versatility (and it tastes good too). There are variations on the recipe, Tjukklefse (thick lefse) often served with coffee as a cake, Tynnlefse (thin lefse) that is rolled up with cinnamon, sugar and butter - served (obviously) as a dessert. Also, it can be stuffed with almost anything you want to eat -from PB&J to BBQ Pork.
Today we are making a Lefse Chicken Wrap - Yummmm!
You will need the following ingredients for the Lefse:
Just use your favorite method of baking a chicken - if you don't have one this recipe is simple and tasty.3 Medium Potatoes (Add 1 more potato for the mashed potatoes in the wrap)2 TBSP Butter1 TBSP Milk2 tsp Salt
2 Cups Flour (maybe a little more)
2 baked chicken breasts
You will also need:
Mixer or Potato Masher
Large pot for boiling potatoes
Frying pan
Rolling Pin
Peel the potatoes. Cut them in half. You want them to be roughly the same size so they all cook at the same speed. Put them in a big pot and fill it with enough water to cover them. Add about a teaspoon of salt. Cover the pot, and go browse your favorite blog - may we suggest: Passalong Plants a wonderful gardening blog. (a shameless plug for our other blog) It will take about an hour after the water is boiling for the potatoes to be done.To test if the potatoes are done poke a toothpick into one of them - if it goes in easily they are done. When the potatoes are done, take them out and drain the water. Add the tablespoon of milk, tablespoon of salt, and two tablespoons of butter to it and then mash away. If you own a stand mixer (lucky you) use it to mash the potatoes; If not, you can use a potato masher (that's what it's for), or a fork, or whatever you like to mash potatoes with - to each his own. After they are mashed measure out two cups and set aside whatever you have left over.
Now put it in the fridge until it's cold. Cover it with plastic wrap or put it in a tupperware - whatever you have. A couple of hours should be long enough, although longer won't cause any harm. (within reason of course - if it's turned green and fuzzy, probably too long)
Take the potatoes out of the fridge and make sure that they're cold. Not room temperature - cold, and slightly stiff. Spread some of your flour over the flat surface where you'll be rolling out the dough. Put the mashed potatoes in the middle of the floured area and pour about half a cup of flour on top of it.
Knead it for about ten minutes, gradually incorporating the rest of the flour. Once it is mixed with the flour it will feel more like dough and not so much like mashed potatoes anymore.Now you need to divide it into eight pieces and ball up each piece.
Spread more flour onto your surface. Lefse sticks a lot when rolling it out. The best way to avoid it is to flip the dough over each time you roll it out, spread a little more flour under it, and roll the other side. Keep your rolling pin well floured, too. You want the Lefse to end up about as thin as a flour tortilla. They should end up around nine inches diameter. I have read that they should be square - round is easier.
After you've rolled out all eight pieces, heat up your frying pan and grease it slightly if it isn't non-stick. Flip one of the uncooked lefse into the pan and quickly unfold any creases with a spatula. Only turn your lefse once - when you see air bubbles forming underneath.It won't need to cook for as long on the other side. Watch, again, for the bubbles; it's a little harder to see this time. Be careful not to leave it on too long or it will burn!
Add the filling! Like I said when I started this is a very versatile food. We are making Lefse Chicken Wraps but you could put just about anything in it you like! Even PB&J - we are big fans.
So, now cut the chicken into bite size pieces and put a schmeer of mashed potatoes in the Lefse and roll it up. Drizzle some gravy over the top and Bon Appetit!
This would be great to use when you have leftovers in the fridge - stuff it with just about anything and it makes a delicious meal. (I'm still working on my presentation skills - maybe a piece of parsley would pretty it up??)
Jill and I will follow up tomorrow with our reviews!
This was a fun new taste for me. When I ate it I kept thinking this should taste like a tortilla but it doesn't ( obviously its made out of potatoes). It is much lighter and has a very subtle taste almost like white bread. The more I ate it the more I enjoyed it (it is very filling also). This is a recipe I will use again and try different fillings. We had 4 left over so I sprinkled them with sugar and cinnamon ( after I spread margarine on them) and put them under the broiler for a few minutes until they started to bubble. I took them out rolled them up. They need to sit and cool off so you can pick them up . It was a tasty dessert. I will use this again it's a keeper.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun recipe. It took longer than I thought it would simply because after you make mashed potatoes (which takes about an hour) they have to cool in the fridge for at least two hours. Not to mention we made the chicken wraps so we had to bake chicken and make gravy (which was great btw). So, all in all it took us almost four hours to make dinner - not something you can (or want to) do everyday.
ReplyDeleteNow, here is where I give you the solution we didn't have: Lefse itself did not take long at all. If you have a nice Sunday meal with chicken and mashed potatoes (or roast beef, or ???) just save the leftovers and you could make this meal in about an hour.
A few notes from me on the process:
1. When you are rolling out the dough and you think it is thin enough - keep rolling, it needs to be thinner.
2. When you finally cook the Lefse (I used a frying pan) cook them over medium high heat. Put them in the pan, straighten out any folds and watch for bubbles. When it bubbles turn it over and watch for bubbles again. It goes fast!
So, all-in-all I think we will make these again. Maybe try some other fillings - maybe even PB&J! This one is a keeper - we will be putting it in the little box in the cupboard.
I also learned what poultry seasoning is - told you we were simple. Sage, Thyme and Marjoram. And Good Gravy! it really makes good gravy.
Wow! Neat! This is a totally new sort of food to me. The dough itself kind of reminds me of mashed potato-filled perogies.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what it would taste like if instant potatoes were used? Or if they would even work? It would save tons of time. I am a "realist" (ha ha) when it comes to mashed potatoes, but I admit I have instant ones in our food storage and do use them as a quick side dish.
Yay for you guys trying out cool, new things!
I can't wait to try this!!! I'll let ya know what I think after!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great ideas!