Norwegian “Lomper”, or how to combine fast food and traditions

Level: Intermediate
Total time: 3h 30min
Serves: 20 lomper

The Norwegian “Lomper”, is a flat potato-based bread type that goes back to the 18th century. This soft crepe-shaped bread is used for both sweet and salt toppings, but most frequently it is used to roll around a sausage topped with ketchup and mustard. It is Norwegian fast food by excellence! It is being served in any gas station or local fast food store all over Norway. Sausage with “lompe” is also a standard meal in children’s birthday parties, prepared over an open fire during a ski trip or mountain walk, and it’s the most common dish served all over the country on the 17th of May (the Norwegian national day).

I usually stock up on these whenever I go to Norway, but as we haven’t been able to travel there for a while, the homemade version has become a habit. Most frequently the recipes are based only on potatoes, flour, and salt. I have tried out several different recipes with a few alternative ingredients before to find a mixture of my own. By adding a bit of creme fraiche, milk, and butter to the dough, the result is perfectly soft, generous, and delicious!

THE TIPS TO SUCCEED

1: Any “lompe” recipe you’ll read will tell you that the less flour you use the better it is, but don’t make it too difficult for yourself: You need to add enough for the dough not to stick to the table while baking…

2: Put a clean stocking on the rolling pin! This brilliant trick avoids the dough sticking to it.

Let’s get started

Ingredients

• 1,6 kg (3,5 pounds) Potatoes (high-starch potatoes, the same you would use for a homemade potato mash)
• 50 ml Milk (1/5 cups)
• 100 ml (2/5 cups) Créme Fraiche
• 2 tsp Salt
• 350-400 g (12-14 ounces) All-purpose flour (Adjust the quantity according to the humidity of your potatoes until the dough gets a texture that can be rolled out.)
• 20 g (0,7 ounces) Butter melted

How to do it?

Boil the potatoes with the skin on until they are tender, and remove the skin while the potatoes are still warm (but not too hot). Cover the potatoes and leave them to cool down (this can be done overnight).

Grind the potatoes very finely using a meat or a potato grinder.

Add the salt, milk, creme fraiche, melted butter, and part of the flour and mix using your hand.

Keep adding flour, and knead the dough until you get a texture that can be rolled out easily. The less flour you add, the better they become, but you need enough to be able to roll them out…

Spread flour on the table and cover your rolling pin with a stocking. This trick avoids the dough getting stuck on your rolling pin.

Roll out small portions of the dough into a thin crepe and cut circle shapes using a pastry circle or a plate to get them even shaped.

Bake each “lompe” in a dry frying or crepe pan at high heat until slightly colored on both sides.

Lomper can be stored in plastic in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for longer.

How to serve Lomper?

Lomper replaces the bread bun in a hot dog. It is so much better! If you have any leftovers you can also serve with any sweet or salt topping you like (cheese, jam, chocolat…).