How did a person like me, who loves food and loves to cook, make it to the ripe old age of 30 (yes, we are talking dog years) without a potato ricer? I was so ignorant to its existence I almost pulled a Dan Quail right now and spelled it “potatoe” ricer.

Fortunately, a couple of Simone Appetit readers have shared this culinary secret with me and, intrigued, I bought one. OK, I borrowed one and then I bought one. Let me tell you — I will never loan mine out. Anybody who has had my new fluffy mashed potatoes (sweet or standard) would disown me. (They are very shallow.)

To summarize its application before getting into a neat recipe, you simply discard your old potato masher of any sort (keep your arms) and use the ricer for the process of pureeing or “mashing” the cooked potatoes. The results are so much finer and fluffier than anything you have done in the past.

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The ricer can also be used to puree cooked vegetables and fruit. I went to a dinner party recently and my host served Lefse, which is a Norwegian flat bread. They are traditionally served with toppings like butter, jam, sugar and cinnamon, or berries.

But I went right for the caviar, sour cream and red onions. Imagine my surprise when I found out the whole gastronomical delight started with — you guessed it — a potato ricer. I really wanted to take a picture of the final product, with my new friend the POTATO RICER, but I am starting to bother people.

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My ricer is a good friend — but not that good.

Lefse Ingredients:

4 cups cooked, riced potatoes

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups flour

Preparation:

Add butter to hot riced potatoes and allow to cool to room temperature. Once the potatoes are cool, add the remaining ingredients and knead until a smooth dough forms. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, about 1/3 cup each.

Roll dough pieces into balls and pat into flat disks, making sure the edges are smooth. Preheat an electric griddle to 500°F or as close as possible. Using a floured rolling pin, roll Lefse into large, thin disks, about 12 inches in diameter.

Transfer Lefse to griddle and cook until edges bubble up and light brown spots appear. Flip the Lefse and repeat with the other side. Then just sit back and bask in the applause — but make sure to take a picture.

Simone Grandmain is an internationally published travel and food writer who currently calls Truckee-Tahoe home. She welcomes your recipes, kitchen “must-haves” and food news at simone_grandmain@hotmail.com.