Collin Lueck
Editor
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church of Merrill honors its Norwegian heritage every fall with the Lefse, Meatball and Baked Goods Sale. A dedicated group of church volunteers have been faithfully producing the lefse and meatballs – Norwegian staples – for decades.
The team of lefse makers gathered in the church kitchen recently to roll out this year’s batch over four days. With 15 volunteers on deck, the big job was handled smoothly.
Lefse is like a tortilla made of potatoes. The potato mixture is cooked and drained one day and rolled out the next. The rollers strive to get them as thin as possible.
“It has to be thin enough to read newsprint through it,” explains Kathi Peterson, who coordinates the lefse project for the church.
Once rolled out, the lefse go on a griddle for a light browning before being cooled on damp tablecloths and packaged for sale.
Historically, the lefse was made to serve with the church’s annual Lutefisk dinner. That tradition began at Our Saviour’s – a church founded by Norwegian immigrants – at least 125 years ago. At its peak, the Lutefisk dinner was serving 1,200 people. That number slowly dwindled as those who appreciated the lye-soaked Norwegian fish dish grew older. Lutefisk is an acquired taste, one not acquired by younger generations, it seems. Several years ago, the Lutefisk dinner was discontinued but the lefse tradition lives on as part of the annual church bake sale.
Lefse was developed by thrifty Norwegians who found a way to repurpose leftover cooked potatoes.
“My grandfather would put fish on it and roll it up,” Kathi said. “People also roll meatballs on it, but most people put sugar and butter on it and eat it as a treat.”
Sarah Jaeger, whose grandfather was Norwegian, has been part of the Our Saviour’s lefse crew for almost 10 years.
“It’s a lot of fun, but there is a definite technique to it,” Sarah said as she worked at her rolling station.
The annual rolling party coincided with a day off school this year, so she was joined in the church kitchen by her two teenage children. The Jaeger family has their own annual lefse fest at home, with the family pitching in to make a batch and freeze it for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Kathi has been participating in the annual lefse operation for 35 years and coordinating it for the past 12. Her daughter, Julia, also now helps with the lefse preparations.
“My daughter is 31 and I rolled with her in a backpack when she was a baby,” Kathi said.
In fact, many of the lefse volunteers have been doing it for a long time.
Helene Anderson has been helping make lefse at the church for 60 years. Helene, whose father came from Norway, also makes lefse at home.
Her childhood memories are of lefse being made from leftover potatoes over a wood-fired stove.
“We always had to have butter on it, and sugar if we were lucky,” Helene said. “A lot of people make it into a sandwich or use it like a tortilla.”
Helene will be working the annual sale dressed in traditional Norwegian formal wear, or “Bunod.”
The sale, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 17, from noon to 6 p.m., is a fund raiser for the church’s mission work. Proceeds go toward local causes such as HAVEN and St. Vincent de Paul, along with farther reaching Lutheran mission programs.
The lefse are sold in half-pound packages, and typically sell out quickly. Our Saviour’s volunteers also rolled up 126 pounds of Norwegian meatballs for this year’s sale.
