The starchy smooth texture of a russet potato is a classic comfort food ingredient. The inside of this tubular root is a sponge of flavor that easily turns crispy thus making potatoes a perfect topping for a unique pizza. The potato pizza brings together a crisp texture and the rustic flavors of caramelized potato starches mixed with the sweet taste of rosemary and aged balsamic vinegar for a surprisingly memorable pizza. The real key to making this shine is using top shelf ingredients such as 8 year Aceto Balsamico di Modena and Pecorino Romano. One great thing about this pizza is how little it costs to make; right about a dollar fifty yet tastes like so much more.
Recipe
Semolina Pizza Dough Recipe
% |
Weight* |
Volume** |
|
| Water, luke warm | 91.5 | 160g | 5.5oz |
| Active Dry Yeast | 1.5 | 2.5g | 1/2 teaspoon |
| King Arthur Bread Flour | 100 | 175g | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Semolina Flour | 43 | 75g | 1 1/2 cup, short |
| Salt | 2.8 | 5g | 1 teaspoon, scant |
| Olive Oil | 5.5 | 10g | 2 teaspoons |
* Use volume measurement for anything under 5 grams for digital scales measuring in 1 gram increments as measuring 5 grams on a 1 gram accuracy scale leaves you with a 20% possible variance at best.
** Volume measurements are not as exact as weight.
Toppings
- 45 grams (3 tablespoons) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon 8 year Aceto Balsamico di Modena (aged balsamic vinegar)
- 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
- 300g russet potato, thinly sliced (approximately 1 large potato)
- Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano
Directions
- From toppings; mix olive oil, rosemary, pepper, salt balsamic vinegar and garlic and allow to sit. Can mix this a day in advance for best flavor extraction into oil.
- For dough mix water and yeast in medium bowl let stand for a minutes until dissolved.
- In a separate bowl combine bread flour, semolina flour and salt.
- Add flour mixture to water and drizzle the olive oil on top.
- Mix dough completely and knead by hand for 5 minutes by hand or in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Dough should be smooth in appearance and hold together a little when stretched.
- Place dough in bowl, cover and allow to rise for 3-5 hours. Room temp of about 75°F is ideal, warmer will be a shorter time and cooler longer. The dough should be between double and tripled in size. (If you want to make this process a bit faster double the yeast and three drops of distilled vinegar mixed in with the water mixture.)
- Punch down dough (divide if you double recipe.)
- Shape back into a ball and place back in bowl and let rise again, covered, for about an hour or until double in size. (Can pre-heat the oven half way through the rise, 450°F)
- Slice potatoes very thin with a mandoline. Using a mandoline gives uniform slices giving a good texture to the final pizza.
- Toss and mix potato slices in oil immediately after cutting and make sure each side of each slice is coated with oil.
- Lightly oil a 10 or 11 inch cast iron skillet or deep dish baking pan.
- Stretch dough over pan and press down in corners. If extra is over the sides this is ok. Keep it thin and even.
- Loosely place slices of potatoes evenly around the pan. Ideally they don’t lay perfectly flat to allow air to get around them.
- Use a scraper to cut extra dough from around the edge.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until good gold and brown starts to form over half the potatoes.
- Remove from oven and garnish pizza with Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Directions in Photos
