Potato Pizza

Last year I was watching a local Greek program that also has a cooking segment included in each episode. I’m interested in this show as I like to keep abreast of local Greek community affairs and, see what other dishes are being presented (I too have appeared on this show). A dish that I had bookmarked on the show was presented by Barb Bliangas, who made an unusual pizza with a potato topping. Pizza with potatoes…double-whammy one-two punch of carbs…potato pizza? Yep, I took the plunge and tried this out and after also having several potato pizzas pointed out on local pizza menus, I guess the concept isn’t that odd.

Boy am I glad I tried potato pizza out! This is another case of trying something (anything) out and if you like it…you’ve added a new dish to your repertoire and if you don’t – the dish never has to touch your lips again. I’m a big fan of dishes with the very basic of ingredients – where a certain combo of ingredients is so simple yet they fly just under the radar, evading our attention. Such is the beauty of this potato pizza.

You can use store-bought pizza dough but making your own is fun and the result is so much better. This is another dish where high quality olive demands to be used here. Don’t settle for olive oil from big-box stores or those folks that also dare to market “light olive oil”. Read the label, buy extra-virgin olive oil and know that $6.99 will not buy you quality olive oil.

The absolute must for this recipe is to slice the potatoes thin, we’re talking wafer-thin so that the potato cooks in the period needed for the pizza dough to bake. The best way thinly slice your potatoes is with mandoline. Visit your local cookware store and ask to see what’s in stock. There are many affordable mandolines out there, like this one.

I bake bread and make pizza using a pizza stone and a pizza peel/paddle but if you don’t have these kitchen tools you can still pull-off a really good pizza. Open the dough, place in a round pan and you’re good! I made this last night, was kinda stuck for a dinner option and thought to make the potato pizza. Rave reviews from family (even the older folks liked it) and I’ll looking forward to having this again…Lent or not!

Potato Pizza – Πατατοπιτσα (Νηστισιμοι)

half of one pizza recipe

four medium-sized potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet), peeled and thinly sliced with a mandoline

4 cloves of garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1/3 cup extra-virgin Greek olive oil + extra for drizzling

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

fresh rosemary

coarse sea salt

Pre-heated 450F oven

1. Place your pizza stone in the oven and pre-heat. Sprinkle some cornmeal on a pizza peel/paddle, then place your dough on it and roll out or press out the dough with your fingers and carefully stretch out into a 15-inch (approx) circle. In a large bowl, add the potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano and toss until well-coated. Lay the potatoes in a circular overlapping fashion until the dough is covered. Give the peel/paddle a shake to make sure your dough moves and you have enough cornmeal underneath.
2. Now top with sliced red onions, drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and top with some fresh rosemary. Open your oven door, slice the pizza onto the pre-heated pizza stone and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges and top of pizza are golden-brown. Take out of the oven and and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Cut into slices and serve with a Gerovassliou Chardonnay.

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