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Lokše

Across the border in Slovakia, lokše are the November flatbreads of St Martin's Day, when the roast goose arrives and the thin potato pancakes are brushed with its fat. Families in western Slovakia also roll them around plum butter or sweet poppy seed for an afternoon treat, and they turn up at Christmas markets in Bratislava. They are soft, pliable and freckled with brown spots from a dry hot pan, a little like a potato tortilla. Here they are brushed with melted butter instead of goose fat, so they are vegetarian. A common mistake is mixing the dough while the potatoes are still warm: it turns sticky and swallows far too much flour. Cool the mashed potatoes completely, ideally overnight. Chef's tip: roll each one on a floured cloth and flip it straight onto the pan from the cloth, so the thin sheet never tears.

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