Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Lefse
About 40 lefseIngredients
Directions
Make the dough
Mix mashed potatoes with melted butter.
If preparing ahead, refrigerate mixture overnight, and take the potatoes out one hour before beginning the rest of the preparation.
Mix sugar, salt, cream, and potato mixture in a large bowl. Gradually stir in flour.
Roll and cook
Using about 2 tablespoons (or a golf ball-sized chunk) of mix at a time, roll mix into flat, round shapes on a flat, smooth surface. Use flour to keep the mix from sticking to the surface and the rolling pin.
Place the round lefse on the griddle, cook until browned on bottom. Flip and repeat.
Add toppings, and serve hot!
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Russet potatoes
- Provide the starch that gives lefse its soft, pliable body.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and a rich flavor in the dough.
- Unbleached flour
- Gives the dough structure so the rounds hold together when rolled.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, keeping the dough soft and tender.
- Granulated sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the surface brown on the griddle.
The step that matters
Cook until browned on the bottom only. Lefse is thin, so it cooks quickly; if the griddle is too hot the surface scorches before the inside heats through, and if too cool the round turns pale and tough. Watching for an even golden spot on the bottom before flipping gives a soft, evenly cooked result.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, flour, sugar, cream):
- Arrowrootfits better
- Leekfits better
- Sweet potatofits about as well
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, flour, sugar, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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