Stove Rags (Lokshe)
A simple and delicious way to repurpose those leftover mashed potatoes.
Stove Rags or properly known as Lokshe, are potato flatbreads popular in Slovak cuisine. They are slathered with butter, rolled up and can be paired with a variety of fillings. These tasty flatbreads have been cooked throughout my grandmother’s childhood as well as my own. Often made out of leftover potatoes on top of a coal stove, these Slovak treasures would be made by the dozens to insure that there would be bread on the table. Especially when money and food were hard to come by. These simple flatbreads kept our bellies full as well as our spirits.
Stove Rags (Lokshe)
Leftover cold mashed potatoes
1 large egg
All-Purpose flour
Melted salted butter
Take your mashed potatoes and egg, mix until the egg is fully incorporated. Mix in your flour a ¼ cup at a time, until a soft and workable dough forms. You may need a cup or more until a dough starts to form, it depends how much mashed potatoes you have on hand.
When the dough comes together, heat a non-stick or cast iron pan on medium high heat without any fat. That’s right, no oil or butter!
Liberally flour your work surface and your rolling bin, the dough will stick if you do not flour your work surface enough.
Divide dough into balls and roll out until a ¼” thick, trying to keep a round shape. It does not need to be perfectly round it just needs to fit in your pan. You can also use a tortilla press instead of a rolling pin for a more uniform shape.
I personally enjoy rolling them out by hand. It gives each stove rag some character and a special homemade quality. Each flatbread is like a snowflake, perfect and beautiful in it’s own unique way.
Once your pan is heated, place your beautifully rolled out dough circle in the pan. Fry until it becomes puffy and little brown spots appear. When you have one side browned, flip and fry the other side.
If eating right away, take your fried stove rag and brush it with melted butter. Roll it up and keep warm while you fry the rest of your dough. Enjoy plain with soup or you can use it like a tortilla and fill it with your favorite food. I personally like it simple with a little bit of raspberry jam or apple butter but I’ve also enjoyed it with ham and melted cheddar cheese. Really the sky’s the limit, get creative!
If eating later, you can fry up the whole batch of dough and let your stove rags cool completely on a cooling rack. Once cooled you can store them flat in a gallon bag and leave at room temperature for a week. To serve, just warm them, brush with melted butter, roll up and serve with your accompaniments.