Changing Up Your Pizza Routine
While pizza is a food of Italian origins, digging into a freshly made slice is as American as apple pie. If you are anything like my family, you have a weekly pizza ritual that you keep up no matter where you are or what your family is up to.
We wanted to change up our weekly pizza routine with something a bit unusual. So instead of the normal one plain pie and one with the boys' favorite sausage or pepperoni, we decided to go a more distinctly Italian route with potato pizza.
While potato pizza is not something you’ll likely find at any American style pizza place, you can find it in most of the pizzerias in Italy. So if you are yearning to recreate an Italian experience, this delicious pie is just the thing. I was inspired to make it after purchasing a bag of Yukon gold potatoes.
All it consists of is thinly rolled dough, a drizzling of extra virgin olive oil, potatoes and onions sliced paper thin, and a sprinkling of fresh rosemary. Cheese is optional, making this a vegan friendly (if not Atkins friendly) option. If you have a pizza stone, all the better, but you can also try making homemade pizza on a heavy duty baking tray.
For our version, I used dough purchased from the grocery store. We have lots of fun making different types of pizza at home, and over the years I have experimented with different dough recipes. Sometimes I make homemade dough but that day we had very little time to work. You can also try your local pizza place if they sell their dough, so you can easily make homemade pizza.
If you have the time to make it yourself (or just use pre-made purchased dough), here are some other easy ways to change up your same old pizza routine:
Grilled Pizza: Use your favorite homemade pizza recipe and take it outdoors to the grill to mimic a wood fired oven and give your pizza a smoky flavor. Simply prepare your grill on a medium high flame, oil the racks and place the flat round of dough right on the grill. Then after two minutes, flip the dough and top according to your preference. Lower the heat, cover and cook for a couple more minutes until cheese is bubbly. In no time you’ll have freshly created pizza without heating up the kitchen or picking up the phone!
Alsatian Pizza: A German French version of pizza topped with crème fraiche, bacon and onions. If you’re a bacon lover, it’s tough to resist!
Really plain pizza: If you have a really great dough, you can adorn it with just a little olive oil, flake sea salt, and maybe some fresh rosemary and you will have pizza Bianca, just as it is made in Rome.
Stromboli: Simply roll your pizza toppings inside the dough to create this pizza shop favorite, similar to a calzone. For stromboli, hearty toppings such as ham, cheese, and roasted veggies work well.
Dessert pizza: In the same style as an Italian crostata, you can make an open faced pie, topping your favorite pizza dough with sweet toppings such as Nutella and fresh sliced fruit. My personal favorite dessert pizza is a layer of cream cheese, followed by sliced apples, and a walnut cinnamon sugar mixture.
And there you have it, pizza and apple pie together. It’s as American as can be!
Made with sugar, flour, kosher salt, cornmeal, olive oil, Yukon gold potatoes, sweet onion, salt
Serves/Makes: 2
***Pizza Dough***
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl
***Potato Topping***
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and very sliced thinly
- 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon flake sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese (optional)
Place the warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the surface of the water and let it stand for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and the yeast has dissolved.
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeast mixture and oil. Slowly stir the mixture with a wooden spoon, mixing just until the dough starts to come together.
Lightly flour a work surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead for 7-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball and place in a well-greased bowl. Turn the dough to coat it in the oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 1 hour at room temperature (or overnight in the refrigerator).
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Sprinkle the cornmeal on a pizza peel or divide it between two baking sheets.
On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough in half. Roll out each half into a 7-inch disk (it should be about 1/4-inch thick). Transfer the dough to the prepared pizza peel or baking sheets.
Drizzle the dough with olive oil. Top each pizza with the sliced potatoes and onions, in a decorative pattern if desired, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the rosemary and cheese (if using) on the top.
Place the pizzas in the oven and bake at 450 degrees F for 8-12 minutes or until the potatoes and the edges of the crusts are browned.
Remove from the oven and cut the pizzas into wedges.
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